cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Animated database courseware (ADbC): interactive instructional materials to support the teaching of database concepts

Understanding database concepts and acquiring capabilities in database technologies are necessary skills for any student of computing. However, there are many obstacles to teaching an introductory database course including prioritizing the many important database concepts, incorporating new technologies into an already full curriculum and supporting students who find the topic challenging. Interactive instructional materials such as animations can often be incorporated into the instructional process to enhance and enrich the teaching/learning process. This workshop presents an overview of a set of animated database courseware materials (referred to as ADbC) and explores how these materials might be utilized in a database course. The ADbC courseware, being developed as part of an NSF CCLI grant, currently includes over 100 animations categorized into modules covering database design, SQL, transactions and database security. The courseware has been made freely available and may be accessed at http://adbc.kennesaw.edu
Involvement of actin cytoskeleton in modulation of apical K channel activity in rat collecting duct.

We have employed the patch-clamp technique to investigate the role of the actin cytoskeleton in the modulation of the low-conductance K+ channel in the apical membrane of the rat cortical collecting duct (CCD). This K+ channel is inactivated by application of cytochalasin B or D, both compounds known to disrupt actin filaments. The effect of both cytochalasins, B and D, was fully reversible in cell-attached patches, but channel activity could not be fully restored in excised membrane patches. The effect of cytochalasins on channel activity was specific and resulted from depolymerization of the actin cytoskeleton, since application of 10 microM chaetoglobosin C, a cytochalasin analogue that does not depolymerize the actin filaments, had no effect on channel activity in inside-out patches. Addition of either actin monomers or of the polymerizing actin filaments in inside-out patches to the cytosolic medium had no effect on channel activity. This suggests that cytochalasin B- or D-induced inactivation of api...
ATPS-13AROMATASE EXPRESSION IN HIGH GRADE GLIOMAS: A POTENTIAL NEW TARGET FOR THERAPY

The prognosis for patients with malignant gliomas remains dismal and novel therapeutic agents are urgently needed. We investigated the potential role of aromatase (CYP19A1), an enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of androgens to estrogens in peripheral tissues, as a target for the treatment of CNS malignancies, as well as brain disposition and anti-tumor efficacy of letrozole, an aromatase inhibitor. Two recent discoveries from our lab have immediate clinical import. First, we analyzed the expression of aromatase in 67 human biopsy samples obtained from the University of Cincinnati Cancer Institute Tumor bank. De-identified frozen tissue samples (containing at least 50 % tumor cells, confirmed by HE i.p. injections) had long term suppression with overall survival exceeding 65 days and no signs of overt toxicity. In contrast, control untreated rats (N = 6, 2ml/kg vehicle i.p. injections) developed significant morbidity/mortality in 15-20 days. Overall, our studies strongly suggest that aromatase is a new “druggable target” for treatment of HGGs and that letrozole can potentially be readily used for this purpose.
Discovery Method and Teaching-Research

In Unit 1 we reflected upon the gap between research and practice and reviewed recent efforts to close this gap by reconceptualising mathematics education research as a design research (Unit 4). In Chapter 1.1 we began a discussion about the essential role of discovery learning in conducting teaching research, in this chapter we reflect upon discovery learning as an important tool in the effort by constructivist pedagogy to reform mathematics education.
Using the Absurdity Principle & Other Strategies Against Appraisal Arbitrage by Hedge Funds

This paper focuses on appraisal arbitrage, an investment strategy where an investor acquires an equity position in a cash-out merger with the specific intention of exercising a statutory shareholder appraisal right under the Delaware Code (8 Del. C. § 262). After buying shares in a company that will merge, the investor can petition for appraisal of those shares, and a Delaware court will grant a judgment of what it determines as the shares’ fair value. This can be 200 percent to 300 percent more than the price of the shares in the merger. Since hedge funds buy shares from shareholders usually at the proposed price in the merger, they can potentially gain — and in fact have gained — millions of dollars from this strategy.This paper argues that this strategy is an abuse of the Delaware appraisal statute, which has its origin in facilitating mergers by giving dissenting shareholders fair value for their shares to keep such shareholders from blocking the merger. Investing hedge funds, on the other hand, could care less about the merger and are essentially just buying their way into a lawsuit for appraisal, hoping to reap huge gains at the expense of liquidity needed to complete the merger and other stakeholders involved.
Technoeconomic assessment of beetle kill biomass co-firing in existing coal fired power plants in the western United States.

Abstract Widespread mortality of forests in the western United States due to a bark beetle epidemic provides a source of biomass for power generation. This study assessed availability and economics of co-firing beetle kill biomass with coal in power plants in the western U.S. Since biomass may be considered carbon neutral under careful management, co-combustion of biomass with coal provides power plants a way to meet emission reduction requirements, such as those in the EPA Clean Power Plan (CPP). Cost has been a barrier to co-firing, but the economics are altered by emission reduction requirements, such as CPP guidelines. The present study assessed beetle kill biomass availability in national forests in Wyoming and Colorado through Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis of U.S. Forest Service (USFS) data. Power plants near beetle kill mortality were identified as candidates for co-firing. An economic assessment of costs to implement co-firing was conducted. Co-firing reduces the need for the USFS to manage beetle kill trees when they are harvested for energy use, and these mitigated treatment costs were considered as an effective subsidy of co-firing. The results of this analysis include beetle kill availability, costs, and annual CO 2 emissions reductions that can be met by co-firing.
Reply to Arduini et al.: Acetyl-l-carnitine and the brain: Epigenetics, energetics, and stress.

Arduini et al. raise interesting issues related to mechanisms involving carnitine (1). The authors ask whether there is a free-carnitine deficiency in Flinders Sensitive Line rats (FSL) (2) and, more broadly, raise the question of whether the deficiency of acetyl-l-carnitine (LAC) occurs systemically or in the brain in FSL (1). We found that carnitine acetyltransferase (CrAT) mRNA levels in the ventral dentate gyrus (vDG) were not different between FSL and Flinders Resistant Line animals; thus, the source of the deficiency is likely to be systemic. We are measuring blood levels of LAC and carnitine in FSL as well as other animal models and in …
Student and Teacher Outcomes of the Class-Wide Function-Related Intervention Team Efficacy Trial:

Schools continue to strive for the use of evidenced-based interventions and policies to foster well-managed classrooms that promote improved student outcomes. The present study examined the effects of the Class-Wide Function-related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT), a group contingency intervention, on the on-task and disruptive behavior of elementary school students with or at risk for emotional behavior disorders (EBD). Seventeen elementary schools, 159 general education teachers, and 313 students participated in the randomized-control group design study. Fidelity of implementation was strong for intervention group teachers and was measured across groups and throughout baseline conditions. Results suggest that CW-FIT can be used to increase on-task behavior and reduce the disruptive behavior of students with or at risk for EBD. In addition, teachers in intervention classes increased praise and reduced reprimands to individual students and along with their students, reported high levels of consumer satisfaction.
Metamaterials and their THz applications

We present experimental results of metamaterials operating at terahertz and mm-wave frequencies. Metamaterials consist of a single layer of 200 nm thick gold on a doped or undoped semiconducting substrate. By optical and electronic doping of supporting semiconducting substrates we show external control of planar arrays of metamaterials, characterized with terahertz time domain spectroscopy. Both methods yield meta-material / semiconductor devices which can be utilized as switches or modulators, enabling modulation of THz transmission by 50 percent. Experiments are supported by simulations and results agree well. Because of the universality of metamaterial response over many decades of frequency, these results have implications for other regions of the electromagnetic spectrum and will undoubtedly play a key role in future demonstrations of novel high-performance devices.
On kernel density estimation based on different stratified sampling with optimal allocation

ABSTRACTKernel density estimation is probably the most widely used non parametric statistical method for estimating probability densities. In this paper, we investigate the performance of kernel density estimator based on stratified simple and ranked set sampling. Some asymptotic properties of kernel estimator are established under both sampling schemes. Simulation studies are designed to examine the performance of the proposed estimators under varying distributional assumptions. These findings are also illustrated with the help of a dataset on bilirubin levels in babies in a neonatal intensive care unit.
Sufficient conditions for the equality of exact and Wyner common information

The minimum common randomness required for the approximate and separate generation of a pair of correlated discrete memoryless sources is quantified by Wyner's notion of common information. Recently, Kumar, Li, and El Gamal introduced the notion of exact common information as the minimum common randomness required for the exact and separate generation of a pair of correlated discrete memoryless sources. This new notion of common information, which does not have a general single-letter characterization, was shown to match Wyner's notion for the symmetric binary erasure source. In this work, we present two conditions on the joint statistics of the pair of sources under either of which the exact and Wyner's notions of common information coincide. Though the conditions are implicit, we prove the equality of Wyner and exact common information for the generalized binary Z-source, generalized erasure source and the noisy typewriter source by establishing that these sources meet either of these conditions.
Retrogradely Transported TrkA Endosomes Signal Locally within Dendrites to Maintain Sympathetic Neuron Synapses

Sympathetic neurons require NGF from their target fields for survival, axonal target innervation, dendritic growth and formation, and maintenance of synaptic inputs from preganglionic neurons. Target-derived NGF signals are propagated retrogradely, from distal axons to somata of sympathetic neurons via TrkA signaling endosomes. We report that a subset of TrkA endosomes that are transported from distal axons to cell bodies translocate into dendrites, where they are signaling competent and move bidirectionally, in close proximity to synaptic protein clusters. Using a strategy for spatially confined inhibition of TrkA kinase activity, we found that distal-axon-derived TrkA signaling endosomes are necessary within sympathetic neuron dendrites for maintenance of synapses. Thus, TrkA signaling endosomes have unique functions in different cellular compartments. Moreover, target-derived NGF mediates circuit formation and synapse maintenance through TrkA endosome signaling within dendrites to promote aggregation of postsynaptic protein complexes.
Publications: Best Practice, Reviews and Recommended Readings: Exporting US High Tech: Facts and Fiction about the Globalization of Industrial R&D

(1999). Publications: Best Practice, Reviews and Recommended Readings. R & D Enterprise: Asia Pacific: Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 24-25.
Real GDP Determination Function ( “IS” Curve) Coefficients Aggregated from Parameter Estimates Obtained By Statistically Estimating The Subcomponent Functions Comprising The GDP

This chapter takes consumption and investment equations from Chapters 4–6 and uses their coefficients to calculate the Keynesian “IS” curve. This chapter model fits several decades of data well, and better than the Chapter 7 model.
Transformational leadership and supply chain ambidexterity: Mediating role of supply chain organizational learning and moderating role of uncertainty

Abstract This paper examines the impact of top management transformational leadership on supply chain organizational learning and supply chain ambidexterity. We also evaluate the influence of uncertainty, present in the operating environment, on these relationships. Integrating multiple perspectives of organizational behavior relating to learning and leadership, we develop our research model and evaluate it using survey data. Results from our analysis support the notion that supply chain organizational learning orientations fully mediate the relationship between transformational leadership and supply chain ambidexterity. Also, uncertainty in the operating environment positively moderates the relationship between transformational leadership and supply chain learning.
The Role of HDL Receptors in Removal of Cellular Cholesterol

The ability of HDL to protect against atherogenesis may be related to its role in “reverse cholesterol transport”, a pathway by which cholesterol is transported from peripheral cells to the liver for excretion from the body. The first step of this pathway, the removal of cholesterol from cells, may be mediated by binding of HDL to a specific cell-surface receptor. Through this receptor interaction, HDL may continually deplete peripheral cells of excess cholesterol, thereby preventing the buildup of cholesterol in artery wall cells that is an early feature of the developing atherosclerotic lesion.
Soil characteristics and irrigation management for use in highly saline waters

Models are available which relate plant tolerance to salinity and irrigation water salinity for appropriate irrigation management. The input parameters must be known for each crop. Very little research has been done to obtain these parameters for crops which are likely to be grown under high saline waters and this represents a high priority research area. Soils which readily transmit water are essential and an irrigation system which controls the amount and uniformity of water applications are critical. A means of injecting nutrients with the irrigation water is also an essential feature of managing crop production under saline environments.
A Uniform Functional Law of the Logarithm for a Local Gaussian Process

We establish a uniform functional law of the logarithm for a Gaussian process closely related to the local empirical process. We then discuss the necessity of the polynomial covering assumption on the indexing class of functions.
Mortality due to cirrhosis and liver cancer in the United States, 1999-2016: observational study

Abstract Objective To describe liver disease related mortality in the United States during 1999-2016 by age group, sex, race, cause of liver disease, and geographic region. Design Observational cohort study. Setting Death certificate data from the Vital Statistics Cooperative, and population data from the US Census Bureau compiled by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (1999-2016). Participants US residents. Main outcome measure Deaths from cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, with trends evaluated using joinpoint regression. Results From 1999 to 2016 in the US annual deaths from cirrhosis increased by 65%, to 34 174, while annual deaths from hepatocellular carcinoma doubled to 11 073. Only one subgroup—Asians and Pacific Islanders—experienced an improvement in mortality from hepatocellular carcinoma: the death rate decreased by 2.7% (95% confidence interval 2.2% to 3.3%, P Conclusions Mortality due to cirrhosis has been increasing in the US since 2009. Driven by deaths due to alcoholic cirrhosis, people aged 25-34 have experienced the greatest relative increase in mortality. White Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanic Americans experienced the greatest increase in deaths from cirrhosis. Mortality due to cirrhosis is improving in Maryland but worst in Kentucky, New Mexico, and Arkansas. The rapid increase in death rates among young people due to alcohol highlight new challenges for optimal care of patients with preventable liver disease.
Groundwater Pumping Is a Significant Unrecognized Contributor to Global Anthropogenic Element Cycles

Quantifying anthropogenic contributions to elemental cycles provides useful information regarding the flow of elements important to industrial and agricultural development and is key to understanding the environmental impacts of human activity. In particular, when anthropogenic fluxes reach levels large enough to influence an element's overall cycle the risk of adverse environmental impacts rises. While intensive groundwater pumping has been observed to affect a wide-range of environmental processes, the role of intensive groundwater extraction on global anthropogenic element cycles has not yet been characterized. Relying on comprehensive datasets of groundwater and produced water (groundwater pumped during oil/gas extraction) chemistry from the U.S. Geological Survey along with estimates of global groundwater usage, I estimate elemental fluxes from global pumping, consumptive use, and depletion of groundwater. I find that groundwater fluxes appreciably contribute to a number of elements overall cycles and thus these cycles were underestimated in prior studies, which did not recognize groundwater pumping's role. I also estimate elemental loadings to agricultural soils in the United States and find that in some regions, groundwater may provide a significant portion (more than 10%) of crop requirements of key nutrients (K, N). With nearly 40% of globally irrigated land under groundwater irrigation, characterizing nutrient and toxic element fluxes to these soils, which ultimately influence crop yields, is important to our understanding of agricultural production. Thus, this study improves our basic understanding of anthropogenic elemental cycles and demonstrates that quantification of groundwater pumping elemental fluxes provides valuable information about the potential for environmental impacts from groundwater pumping.
Terrible TR: A Marker or Maker of Cardiac Dysfunction?

In medical school many of us learned the first rule of surgery: “Eat when you can, sleep when you can, and don’t mess with the pancreas.” In cardiology we’ve learned a similar axiom — “don’t mess w...
New directions in eTandem: an expanded vision of capabilities and practices

Autonomy and reciprocity, two central tenets of eTandem, are not ideologically neutral terms. In light of new technological opportunities and pedagogical directions in higher education, current formulations of these concepts are perhaps too narrow to accommodate the full range of collaborative activities available to instructors and students. For better or worse, education assumes a significant and definitive role in the market economy. The public-private distinction is not an actual binary: it is more accurately understood as a spectrum, and educational institutions function dually as hybrid recipients and benefactors of economic activity. eTandem is an excellent foundation, but teachers should not feel limited in its scope and purview. By reflecting on instructional activity and observation in Arabic, Italian, and Spanish courses at the University of Richmond, this article presents different interpretations of eTandem. The traditional model can be enhanced with related tools and methodologies to engage students more deeply, and challenge them to push the boundaries of their language, abilities, and knowledge. While additional SLA research would be needed to confirm the transference of learning outcomes of both models through comparative evaluative metrics, this article outlines ideas for instructors to commence new directions in eTandem, and consider improvements to long-standing practices.
Development and application of an image acquisition system for characterizing sow behaviors in farrowing stalls

Abstract Animal behavior can be an indicator of animal productivity and well-being, and thus an indicator of how animals respond to changes in their biophysical environment. This study monitored the behaviors of sows and piglets in a commercial setting utilizing an autonomous machine vision system. The objectives of this research were to: (1) implement a digital and time-of-flight depth imaging system, (2) develop a process with minimal user input to analyze the collected images, and (3) calculate the hourly and daily posture and behavior budgets of sows housed in individual farrowing stalls. Depth sensors were centered above each stall in three farrowing rooms (20 sows per room) and controlled by mini-PCs, acquiring images continuously at 0.2 FPS. Data files were transmitted via Ethernet cable to a switch, then to a 50 TB disk station for storage. Recorded image data were subsequently analyzed to quantify sow posture budgets and behaviors using a computer processing algorithm. Algorithm classifications were compared to those of trained human labelers with sow posture classified correctly >99.2% (sitting: 99.4%, standing: 99.2%, kneeling: 99.7%, lying: 99.9%). Specificity and sensitivity parameters for posture classifications were >84.6%, with the exception of lower specificity for kneeling (20.5%). When lying, direction (sow lying on left or right side of body) was classified with an accuracy of 96.2%. Sows that were not lying were also labeled with a behavior, including feeding (97.0% accuracy), drinking behavior (96.8% accuracy), and other behavior (95.5% accuracy). Each non-lying behavior label had specificity >88.3% and sensitivity >77.4%. This autonomous system enables acquisition of a large amount of replicated data to evaluate the effects of changing the farrowing environment on sow behavior and potentially well-being.
From Back-of-the-Envelope to Informed Estimation of Edge Computing Benefits in Minutes Using Castnet

Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) is emerging as the next evolution in computing infrastructure. However, the broad adoption of edge computing solutions is still lagging behind. We posit that a significant factor contributing to this trend is related to the challenges in evaluating the trade-offs offered by edge computing and answering a simple question: Will the edge investments be offset with commensurate gains in performance metrics such as improved application responsiveness or lower backhaul bandwidth costs? Existing simulation tools, developed for cloud computing and networking research, require a large amount of effort to be applied to the edge computing space. Their native abstractions and interfaces pose limitations in how such frameworks can be extended to allow for characterization and analysis of diverse edge computing use cases. Moreover, as we demonstrate, they can be slow, taking days, to provide insights. To address this gap, we develop Castnet – a fast, extensible, and easy-to-use framework for evaluating the benefits of MEC for different edge deployment models, configuration and functions. We demonstrate that Castnet leads to significant gains in the time-to-insight while achieving the same fidelity in the results as existing tools. We illustrate the utility of Castnet using two scenarios: an investigation of the impact of edge storage capacity for edge-based content caches, and the impact of edge location for an edge-based intrusion detection service.
Chapter 282 – Systematics

Altogether, the rare earths represent the largest fraction (about 1/6) of naturally occurring elements. Over the last 60 years many of the rare earth elements have become indispensable for modern technology, and the family as a whole has become a poster child for demonstrating the vital role in analysis of systematics and anomalies plays in science. Indeed, a systematic analysis of trends in structure and properties of materials moving from one member of the rare earth family to another has often resulted in correct predictions that later have been verified theoretically, experimentally, or both. To this end, this chapter briefly reviews some examples of development and successful applications of systematics that brought about a great deal of understanding of the fundamentals of chemistry, physics, and materials science of rare earths and their compounds and alloys.
A Case Report of Isolated Blunt Traumatic Gallbladder Perforation and Review of the Literature.

Introduction Gallbladder trauma is an uncommon occurrence, most commonly found incidentally at the time of laparotomy for associated injuries following abdominal trauma. It is even more rare in blunt abdominal trauma, with one of the rarest forms being an isolated injury to the gallbladder. Awareness for this type of injury should not be forgotten by emergency personal when evaluating someone with a history of recent trauma. Case description A 44-year-old male who works as a construction worker fell from a roof, landing on his right side. Upon evaluation by the emergency department, emergency personnel combined the history, abnormal laboratory values and imaging including ultrasound (U/S) and computed tomography (CT) to assess and diagnose a concern for gallbladder perforation. He was treated with a diagnostic laparoscopy, laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and intraoperative choleangiogram. The patient tolerated the procedure well and discharged home on postoperative day 1. Discussion Gallbladder trauma can be seen in all population types. As the gallbladder is fairly protected, it is rare to have an isolated injury. A detailed history as described can tip off practitioners to the diagnosis, but is also missed or delayed due to occasionally vague symptoms. Imaging studies can be used adjunctively to assist in diagnosis and may include CT, U/S, color Doppler, or HIDA scans. These can also fail to give a diagnosis leading to a missed injury and further morbidity and mortality. Perforated gallbladders can safely be treated laparoscopically as well as other options depicted. Conclusion Awareness of isolated and rare injuries in trauma, such as those to the gallbladder, enables many types of emergency personnel to recognize and treat patients and consequently prevent the morbidity and mortality of a missed injury.
Operative Nuances of Blind Catheterization of Occluded Sinuses Using Negative Road Map Technique: 2-Dimensional Operative Video

Dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) are often treated with endovascular transvenous embolization. DAVFs though, are often associated with intracranial venous sinus occlusion, which limits the transvenous route. Here, we present the operative nuances of blind catheterization of an occluded dural venous sinus in 2 different cases with DAVF. First case is a 72-yr-old patient with indirect right carotid-cavernous fistula associated with an occluded inferior petrosal sinus, with severe orbital congestion. Second patient is a 79-yr-old patient with a new external carotid to a trapped transverse sinus fistula (Cognard IIA + B), extensive cortical venous reflux in the setting of an occluded sigmoid sinus. In both cases, the transarterial route was limited because of small arterial feeders thus, after obtaining patients' consent, we performed transvenous sacrifice of the isolated sinus. In both cases, the occluded sinus was transvenously blindly retrograde probed using a 0.035 inch Terumo Glidewire (Terumo Medical Corporation, Somerset, New Jersey). Once the occluded segment was probed, a dark roadmap was acquired with the wire in place. This created a negative roadmap once the guidewire is removed. This negative roadmap is used to navigate the microcatheter-microwire into the isolated sinus. In the first case, the cavernous sinus and the superior ophthalmic veins were sacrificed with coils. In the second patient, the entrapped left transverse sinus was embolized using Onyx. In both cases, complete occlusion of the fistula was attained. In this neuroendovascular video, we demonstrate the nuances of blind catheterization of an occluded sinus using a negative roadmap technique as guidance for the micro-catheterization. Institutional Review Board approved. Patient consent not required due to retrospective nature of manuscript, based on medical chart and imaging reviews, anonymized in the video.
The transcriptional elongation rate regulates alternative polyadenylation in yeast

Yeast cells undergoing the diauxic response show a striking upstream shift in poly(A) site utilization, with increased use of ORF-proximal poly(A) sites resulting in shorter 3' mRNA isoforms for most genes. This altered poly(A) pattern is extremely similar to that observed in cells containing Pol II derivatives with slow elongation rates. Conversely, cells containing derivatives with fast elongation rates show a subtle downstream shift in poly(A) sites. Polyadenylation patterns of many genes are sensitive to both fast and slow elongation rates, and a global shift of poly(A) utilization is strongly linked to increased purine content of sequences flanking poly(A) sites. Pol II processivity is impaired in diauxic cells, but strains with reduced processivity and normal Pol II elongation rates have normal polyadenylation profiles. Thus, Pol II elongation speed is important for poly(A) site selection and for regulating poly(A) patterns in response to environmental conditions.
Deep-Reinforcement-Learning-Based Scheduling with Contiguous Resource Allocation for Next-Generation Wireless Systems

Scheduling plays a pivotal role in multi-user wireless communications, since the quality of service of various users largely depends upon the allocated radio resources. In this paper, we propose a novel scheduling algorithm with contiguous frequency-domain resource allocation (FDRA) based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL) that jointly selects users and allocates resource blocks (RBs). The scheduling problem is modeled as a Markov decision process, and a DRL agent determines which user and how many consecutive RBs for that user should be scheduled at each RB allocation step. The state space, action space, and reward function are delicately designed to train the DRL network. More specifically, the original quasi-continuous action space, which is inherent to contiguous FDRA, is refined into a finite and discrete action space to obtain a trade-off between the inference latency and system performance. Simulation results show that the proposed DRL-based scheduling algorithm outperforms other representative baseline schemes while having lower online computational complexity.
Introduction to housing

Housing is crucial for both individuals and communities. In Introduction to Housing, the team of editors led by Katrin Anacker, who also serves as editor of the International Journal of Housing Pol...
Observation of Anti-parity-time Symmetry on Chip

We report an on-chip realization of non-Hermitian optics with anti-Parity-Time(Anti-PT) symmetry by constructing a fully-passive, nanophotonic platform consisting of three evanescently-coupled nanowaveguides.
A Framework for Task Mapping onto Heterogeneous Platforms

While heterogeneous systems provide considerable opportunities for accelerating big data applications, the variation in processing capacities and communication latency of different resources makes it challenging to effectively map the applications on the platform. To generate an optimized mapping of the input application on a variety of heterogeneous platforms, we design a flexible annotated task interaction graph based framework which 1) allows modeling of mixed CPU and GPU architectures, and 2) identifies an efficient task-hardware mapping of the input application, given the dependencies and communication costs between tasks that constitute the applications. The annotated task interaction graph (ATIG) representation captures all the information that is necessary to execute the application and the meta-data, such as performance models for estimating runtime on a target resource and communication latencies. Our framework supports solving the problem of mapping tasks in the ATIG onto available resources by including variations of greedy algorithm and LP relaxations with rounding. We show that our framework can achieve high speedup, allowing domain experts to efficiently compile a broad set of programs to parallel and heterogeneous hardware.
Growth Kinetics of an Amorphous Phase Between GaAs and Co

Solid-state amorphization reaction between GaAs and Co thin-films was investigated by transmission electron micorscopy and Auger electron spectroscopy. Upon annealing of GaAs/Co thin-film couples at 260–300 °C, an amorphous phase was observed to form. The amorphization was attributed to the openness of the GaAs structure relative to the size of the Co atoms. This allows rapid diffusion of Co into the GaAs lattice and promotes the occurrence of SSAR. Annealing at higher temperatures or for longer times led to the formation of a crystalline phase, designated as the μ-phase which was determined to be a metastable supersaturated solid solution of CoAs exhibiting the B31 structure of the approximate composition of Co(Ga. .48As.52). The growth kinetics of both the amorphous phase and the μ-phase are parabolic in nature. The parabolic rate constant is higher for the μ-phase than for the amorphous phase. The activation energies are 1.47 and 1.35 eV, respectively.
Declines in rodent abundance and diversity track regional climate variability in North American drylands

Regional long-term monitoring can enhance the detection of biodiversity declines associated with climate change, improving future projections by reducing reliance on space-for-time substitution and increasing scalability. Rodents are diverse and important consumers in drylands, regions defined by the scarcity of water that cover 45% of Earth's land surface and face increasingly drier and more variable climates. We analyzed abundance data for 22 rodent species across grassland, shrubland, ecotone, and woodland ecosystems in the southwestern USA. Two time series (1995-2006 and 2004-2013) coincided with phases of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), which influences drought in southwestern North America. Regionally, rodent species diversity declined 20%-35%, with greater losses during the later time period. Abundance also declined regionally, but only during 2004-2013, with losses of 5% of animals captured. During the first time series (wetter climate), plant productivity outranked climate variables as the best regional predictor of rodent abundance for 70% of taxa, whereas during the second period (drier climate), climate best explained variation in abundance for 60% of taxa. Temporal dynamics in diversity and abundance differed spatially among ecosystems, with the largest declines in woodlands and shrublands of central New Mexico and Colorado. Which species were winners or losers under increasing drought and amplified interannual variability in drought depended on ecosystem type and the phase of the PDO. Fewer taxa were significant winners (18%) than losers (30%) under drought, but the identities of winners and losers differed among ecosystems for 70% of taxa. Our results suggest that the sensitivities of rodent species to climate contributed to regional declines in diversity and abundance during 1995-2013. Whether these changes portend future declines in drought-sensitive consumers in the southwestern USA will depend on the climate during the next major PDO cycle.
Unintended Consequences: The Effect of Education Policy Announcements on Online Philanthropy

Over the last two decades, grassroots altruism, enabled through online platforms such as DonorsChoose.org, has resulted in the successful funding of numerous essential public school projects across the country. While such channels become critical fundraising mechanisms, there is an unintended possibility of the crowding out of these sources by governmental initiatives that aim to address public school welfare and quality of education. In this study, with a focus on major public policy announcements, we examine whether there is an unintended effect of external measures, such as the signing of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), on grassroots altruism, as observed on online philanthropy platforms. We surmise that, in such platforms, donors could become complacent and take comfort in the cognizance of an external agency addressing the problems they care about — we term this the “savior effect”. Importantly, from our analysis of panel data on an education crowdfunding platform, we find (a) a decline in donations toward public school projects on the platform, and (b) that donations become more local, disproportionately impacting schools with high concentrations of low-income and minority students, which receive fewer instructional resources to begin with. Our work has important policy implications for public schools, donor communities, and online fundraising platforms.
Evaluating the impacts of models, data density and irregularity on reconstructing and forecasting dense Landsat time series

Abstract We evaluated the performance of a variety of time series models, that include the harmonic (HR) model, autoregressive (AR) model, linear Gaussian state-space (LGSS) model, cubic spline (SP) model, double logistic (DL) model, and asymmetric Gaussian (AG) model, for reconstructing (all six models) and forecasting (HR, AR, and LGSS models) dense Landsats 5–7 time series based on 4562 samples. To remove the impact of land change and human interventions on data reconstruction and forecasting, this evaluation excluded croplands and samples changed between 2000 and 2011. Results show that the widely used HR model is not a good model for data reconstruction but outperforms other models in data forecasting. The DL and AG models have the best performance in data reconstruction but cannot forecast Landsat observations. The AR and LGSS models shared similar performance in reconstructing Landsat data but are less ideal for data forecasting, particularly for the LGSS model. Integrating the HR (for forecasting) and DL or AG (for reconstruction) is recommended to improve land change detection and land cover classification results. We also evaluated the impact of data density and irregularity on reconstructing and forecasting Landsat observations. When the data density is low (
A Review of Coccidioides Research, Outstanding Questions in the Field, and Contributions by Women Scientists.

Coccidioidomycosis is an infectious disease that gained clinical significance in the early 20th century. Many of the foundational contributions to coccidioidomycosis research, including the discovery of the fungal disease agent, Coccidioides spp., were made by women. We review recent progress in Coccidioides research and big questions remaining in the field, while highlighting some of the contributions from women. New molecular-based techniques provide a promising method for detecting Coccidioides, which can help determine the dominate reservoir host and ideal environmental conditions for growth. Genetic and genomic analyses have allowed an understanding of population structure, species level diversity, and evolutionary histories. We present a current, comprehensive genome list, where women contributed many of these entries. Several efforts to develop a coccidioidomycosis vaccine are underway. Women continue to pioneer research on Coccidioides, including the relationships between the fungi and the environment, genetics, and clinical observations. Significant questions remain in the field of Coccidioides, including the main host reservoir, the relationships between genotypic and phenotypic variation, and the underlying cause for chronic clinical coccidioidomycosis cases.
Influence of dietary vitamin E on the lungs of ozone-exposed rats: A correlated biochemical and histological study

Abstract The effect of dietary vitamin E on pulmonary susceptibility to near ambient levels of ozone was studied in rats. Exposure to 0.7 or 0.8 ppm ozone continuously for 7 days resulted in significant biochemical augmentations in the lungs of both vitamin E-deficient and -supplemented rats. The relative order of the change was glutathione (GSH) peroxidase > lactate dehydrogenase > glucose-6-phosphate (G-6-P) dehydrogenase and pyruvate kinase > reduced glutathione > malic enzyme > glutathione reductase > protein and malic dehydrogenase. Except for malic dehydrogenase, the degrees of biochemical changes were greater in the lungs of vitamin E-deficient rats than those of the supplemented group following ozone exposure, and the differences in the levels of GSH peroxidase, G-6-P dehydrogenase, pyruvate kinase, and GSH were statistically significant. Histological examination of animal lungs revealed that all animals exposed to 0.7 ppm ozone for 7 days had detectable lesions compared to none from the control groups. However, almost all the lungs categorized as having severe lesions by two investigators in a blind study were from rats fed the vitamin E-deficient diet, while nearly all the lungs from the supplemented group had mild lesions. The results suggest that dietary vitamin E alters cellular sensitivity of lung tissue to ozone exposure, and that depletion of dietary vitamin E lowers the threshold concentration of ozone at which effects can be detected.
Reconstitution of the purified platelet fibrinogen receptor. Fibrinogen binding properties of the glycoprotein IIb-IIIa complex.

Several lines of evidence indicate that the platelet membrane glycoprotein IIb-IIIa complex (GP IIb-IIIa) is necessary for the expression of platelet fibrinogen receptors. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether purified GP IIb-IIIa retains the properties of the fibrinogen receptor on platelets. Glycoprotein IIb-IIIa was incorporated by detergent dialysis into phospholipid vesicles composed of 30% phosphatidylcholine and 70% phosphatidylserine. 125I-Fibrinogen binding to the GP IIb-IIIa vesicles, as measured by filtration, had many of the characteristics of 125I-fibrinogen binding to whole platelets or isolated platelet plasma membranes: binding was specific, saturable, reversible, time dependent, and Ca2+ dependent. The apparent dissociation constant for 125I-fibrinogen binding to GP IIb-IIIa vesicles was 15 nM, and the maximal binding capacity was 0.1 mol of 125I-fibrinogen/mol of GP IIb-IIIa. 125I-Fibrinogen binding was inhibited by amino sugars, the GP IIb and/or IIIa monoclonal antibody 10E5, and the decapeptide from the carboxyl terminus of the fibrinogen gamma chain. Furthermore, little or no 125I-fibrinogen bound to phospholipid vesicles lacking protein or containing proteins other than GP IIb-IIIa (i.e. bacteriorhodopsin, apolipoprotein A-I, or glycophorin). Also, other 125I-labeled plasma proteins (transferrin, orosomucoid) did not bind to the GP IIb-IIIa vesicles. These results demonstrate that GP IIb-IIIa contains the platelet fibrinogen receptor.
Learning Limits from Failures

Inviting Disaster Lessons from the Edge of Technology. James R. Chiles. HarperBusiness, New York, 2001. 352 pp. $28, C$42.50. ISBN 0-06-662081-3. Examining a number of disasters and near-misses that arose through failures to control modern technology, Chiles discusses ways in which similar events might be avoided in the future.
Students' Views About Scientists and School Science: Engaging K-8 Teachers in a National Study

(1999). Students' Views About Scientists and School Science: Engaging K-8 Teachers in a National Study. Journal of Science Teacher Education: Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 43-54.
A new method for the direct determination of serum cholesterol.

Abstract A direct method for the quantitative determination of total serum cholesterol is described. The procedure consists of adding a reagent containing sulfuric acid, acetic acid, and ferric chloride to a 0.1 ml. sample of serum. The sensitivity achieved is several times that of current procedures and the time required for a single determination is in the order of minutes. Precision and reproducibility are demonstrated as well as the absorption characteristics of the purple color produced through the spectral range of 400 to 700 mμ. Finally, the method is compared with samples in which total cholesterol is determined by the Kingsley-Schaffert and Schoenheimer-Sperry procedures.
Estimates of the potential temperature profile from lidar measurements of boundary layer evolution

[1] The Soil Moisture-Atmosphere Coupling Experiment (SMACEX) was conducted in the Walnut Creek Watershed near Ames, Iowa, over the period from 15 June to 11 July 2002. A main focus of SMACEX is the investigation of the interactions between the atmospheric boundary layer, surface moisture, and canopy. A vertically staring elastic lidar was used to provide a high time resolution, continuous record of the mixed layer height at the edge between a soybean and a corn field. The height and thickness of the entrainment zone are used to estimate the vertical potential temperature profile in the boundary layer using surface energy measurements in the Batchvarova-Gryning mixed layer model. Calculated values of potential temperature compared well to radiosonde measurements taken simultaneously with the lidar measurements. The root-mean-square difference between the lidar-derived values and the balloon-based values is 1.20°C.
Activity of meropenem combined with RPX7009, a novel β-lactamase inhibitor, against Gram-negative clinical isolates in New York City

Multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing Enterobacteriaceae are endemic to hospitals in New York City and other regions. RPX7009 is a novel β-lactamase inhibitor with activity against serine carbapenemases. We tested the activity of meropenem plus RPX7009 against 4,500 recent Gram-negative clinical isolates from 11 New York City hospitals. The meropenem-RPX7009 combination was found to have excellent in vitro activity against Escherichia coli, K. pneumoniae, and Enterobacter spp., including multidrug-resistant (MDR) KPC-producing strains. Overall, 131/133 (98.5%) KPC-producing Enterobacteriaceae strains were inhibited by meropenem (≤1 μg/ml) plus RPX7009 (8 μg/ml). In a limited number of strains, the combination appeared to have reduced activity against KPC-producing K. pneumoniae isolates with diminished ompK35 and ompK36 expression. The addition of RPX7009 did not affect the activity of meropenem against Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The meropenem-RPX7009 combination shows promise as a novel agent against KPC-producing Enterobacteriaceae and deserves further study. Other approaches will be needed to address multidrug-resistant A. baumannii and P. aeruginosa, which typically possess different mechanisms of carbapenem resistance.