cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neprilysin Deficiency Is Associated With Expansion of Islet β-Cell Mass in High Fat-Fed Mice.

Neprilysin (NEP) is an endopeptidase known to modulate nervous, cardiovascular, and immune systems via inactivation of regulatory peptides. In addition, it may also contribute to impaired glucose h...
A Multi-Scenario Probabilistic Simulation Approach for Critical Transportation Network Risk Assessment

The reliability, survivability and vulnerability of critical infrastructure systems has received significant attention of the past several decades. Transportation systems are among the many critical lifelines that urban areas and their associated communities are dependent upon. Disruptions to these systems have the potential to create significant human suffering and severe economic damage. As a result, the ability to proactively assess response and recovery options is critical for emergency preparedness in urban areas. Unfortunately, the vast majority of infrastructure disruption studies are deterministic in nature, exploring the impact of node and arc losses with pre-defined interdiction scenarios and ignoring the underlying dynamism of extreme events. We advance existing knowledge by presenting a probabilistic approach for simulating a range of disruption scenarios and for identifying critical links within the network. Specifically, our approach takes advantage of Monte Carlo simulation, network-wide demand modeling and regression analysis to address the probabilistic nature of disaster effects and the joint impacts of network link failures. Using Salt Lake County, Utah as the study area, the resulting analysis effectively identifies and ranks links based on their vulnerability and criticality. The proposed method is easily transferable to any transportation network, regardless of scale, topology or extreme event.
Initial Palivizumab Dose Administration in Outpatient Clinic After Hospital Discharge.

Author(s): Stockton, Winifred; Chen, Yanjun; Jun, Allison; Lee, Tina; Chilvers Murphy, Michelle; Magedman, Grace | Abstract: BACKGROUND:Palivizumab provides passive immunity for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), but poor adherence compromises protection. A hospital initiative promoted administration of first palivizumab doses at an outpatient clinic immediately after discharge. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the impact of the initiative on location and timing of first palivizumab dose, patient adherence, reimbursement, acquisition cost and RSV-positive hospital readmissions.METHODS:This retrospective cohort study included pediatric patients who received palivizumab from 2012 to 2016. Three groups were compared: "before initiative," "transition" and "after initiative." Patients who did not qualify for palivizumab or who were eligible for palivizumab in previous RSV seasons were excluded. Multivariable logistic and linear regressions adjusted for patients' characteristics were used in outcome analysis.RESULTS:After adjusting for patients' characteristics, there was a 13.5-fold (95% confidence interval: 5.9-30.5, P l 0.0001) increase in odds that patients would receive outpatient administration of palivizumab and 2.7-fold (95% confidence interval: 1.3-5.7, P = 0.0103) increase in odds of receiving the second dose within 35 days after initiative implementation compared with before. Although there was no significant difference in reimbursement percentage after initiative implementation (32% ± 30% after initiative and 31% ± 22% before), calculated palivizumab acquisition costs were 20.8% lower. RSV readmissions were not significantly different.CONCLUSIONS:Implementation of an initiative with defined workflow, multidisciplinary collaboration, and early case management efforts to obtain insurance authorization increased outpatient administration of first palivizumab doses. Patient adherence improved as demonstrated by more timely receipt of the second palivizumab dose. There was no difference in reimbursement; however, acquisition cost decreased which is valuable considering low reimbursement rates. RSV-positive readmissions did not change significantly.
Fluctuation theory in space and time: White noise in reaction-diffusion models of morphogenesis

The precision of reaction-diffusion models for mesoscopic physical systems is limited by fluctuations. To account for this uncertainty, Van Kampen derived a stochastic Langevin-like reaction-diffusion equation that incorporates spatiotemporal white noise. The resulting solutions, however, have infinite standard deviation. Ad hoc modifications that address this issue by introducing microscopic correlations are inconvenient in many physical contexts of wide interest. We instead estimate the magnitude of fluctuations by coarse-graining solutions of the Van Kampen equation at a relevant mesoscopic scale. The ensuing theory yields fluctuations of finite magnitude. Our approach is demonstrated for a specific biophysical model---the encoding of positional information. A numerical example is given for bicoid signaling in Drosophila. We discuss the properties of the fluctuations and the role played by the macroscopic parameters of the underlying reaction-diffusion model. The analysis and numerical methods developed here can be applied in physical problems to predict the magnitude of fluctuations. This general approach can also be extended to other classes of dynamical systems that are described by partial differential equations.
Assembly and maintenance of GABAergic and Glycinergic circuits in the mammalian nervous system

Inhibition in the central nervous systems (CNS) is mediated by two neurotransmitters: gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glycine. Inhibitory synapses are generally GABAergic or glycinergic, although there are synapses that co-release both neurotransmitter types. Compared to excitatory circuits, much less is known about the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate synaptic partner selection and wiring patterns of inhibitory circuits. Recent work, however, has begun to fill this gap in knowledge, providing deeper insight into whether GABAergic and glycinergic circuit assembly and maintenance rely on common or distinct mechanisms. Here we summarize and contrast the developmental mechanisms that regulate the selection of synaptic partners, and that promote the formation, refinement, maturation and maintenance of GABAergic and glycinergic synapses and their respective wiring patterns. We highlight how some parts of the CNS demonstrate developmental changes in the type of inhibitory transmitter or receptor composition at their inhibitory synapses. We also consider how perturbation of the development or maintenance of one type of inhibitory connection affects other inhibitory synapse types in the same circuit. Mechanistic insight into the development and maintenance of GABAergic and glycinergic inputs, and inputs that co-release both these neurotransmitters could help formulate comprehensive therapeutic strategies for treating disorders of synaptic inhibition.
Differences in employee perceptions of entry-level competencies of NIRSA campus recreation professionals.

Core competencies are defined as skills, knowledge, and abilities that an employee needs to be successful in a job. There has been research examining competencies in a variety of professional recre...
Coping Over the Life Span

It has long been assumed that coping changes over the life span. One point of view is that coping changes normatively as people age. For example, Gutmann (1974) suggests that as people age they move from active mastery, that is, aggressive, controlling modes of coping, to more passive modes, and ultimately to a reliance on magical modes. Vaillant (1977) and Pfeiffer (1977) also suggest that coping changes with age, but in different directions than suggested by Gutmann. Vaillant and Pfeiffer say that people become more effective and realistic in their coping as they age. There is less dependence on immature mechanisms such as projection and acting out, and more use of mature mechanisms such as altruism, humour, and suppression.
Next-Generation Sequencing Analyses of the Whole Mitochondrial Genome

Molecular diagnosis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)-related disorders requires the detection and quantification of point mutations and large deletions, including mapping the deletion breakpoints. Currently, comprehensive diagnosis is achieved by employing stepwise procedures. The massively parallel next-generation sequencing (NGS) when appropriately validated, with deep coverage and proper quality controls, can be used as a one-step comprehensive diagnostic approach to simultaneously detect and quantify mtDNA point mutations and deletions in a CLIA-certified clinical laboratory.
Human performance under sustained operations and acute sleep deprivation conditions : Toward a model of controlled attention

Introduction Although a number of studies have examined the effects of sleep deprivation on performance, the results are not easily explained. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of sustained operations and acute sleep deprivation on tasks that require a wide range of information processing. The current study also provided preliminary data on the use of the controlled attention model to better understand the effects of sleep deprivation. Methods There were 24 college students who were paid to remain awake for one night and complete a variety of cognitive and vigilance tasks. Each task was administered four times during the night, once in each testing session (17:30-21:30, 21:45-01:45, 02:30-06:30, and 06:45-10:45). All tasks were counterbalanced across the testing sessions. Results The data were converted to z-scores and repeated-measures ANOVAs were completed. Performance did not significantly decrease on the more complex cognitive tasks over the night of sleep deprivation. Performance on the vigilance tasks decreased significantly across the night. Conclusions Examining the characteristics of the cognitive tasks indicated that although they required different types of processing, they encouraged the participants to remain attentive to and engaged in the task. In contrast, the vigilance tasks were less intrinsically interesting and engaging. Thus, it seems likely that the participants were less capable of maintaining attention on the vigilance tasks than the cognitive tasks. These results indicate that a controlled attention model may be useful in better understanding the effects of sustained operations and sleep deprivation on performance.
Spot-On Contracting: Improving Transparency & Contractor Personnel Monitoring in Contingency Operations

Contractors in today’s military operations perform a wide variety of functions in support of the U.S. mission abroad. The federal government, however, has been unable to adequately keep track of the number of contractor personnel it employs and the activities contractors perform in the battlespace. To improve contractor monitoring on the battlefield, the Defense Department, the State Department, and USAID have implemented the Synchronized Pre-Deployment and Operational Tracker (“SPOT”). SPOT is a centralized interagency database that allows agency officials to access information on the identities and activities of their contractors, subcontractors, and contractor personnel employed in contingency settings. This article explores the potential capabilities of this database and examines its current limitations on the ability of agency officials to meaningfully capture and utilize contractor information. Ultimately, SPOT’s success as a monitoring tool will depend on the willingness of DOD, State, and USAID to coordinate their efforts to improve contractor oversight.
Energy-Efficient MAC Layer protocols in Ad Hoc Networks

3 Scheduling-based mechanism 8 3.1 Motivation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 3.2 CDMA ad hoc networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 3.2.1 CDMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 3.2.2 CDMA ad hoc networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 3.3 TDMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 3.4 FDMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 3.5 Related protocols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 3.5.1 CA-CDMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 3.5.2 Energy-efficient MAC based on CDMA/TDMA . . . . . . . . 14
Predictive Validity and Sensitivity to Change in Quality of Life Assessment and Life Satisfaction: Further Studies of the Quality of Life Inventory or QOLI in Mental Health Settings

The clinical usefulness of quality of life assessments depends upon their ability to predict clinically important outcomes and to detect treatment-related change. In addition, norms for clinical — and not just nonclinical — samples are needed to demonstrate clinically significant change. These issues were explored in the context of a program of instrument validation for the QOLI or Quality of Life Inventory involving 3,927 clients from various clinical settings. Clinical norms for community mental health centers and university counseling centers were also generated that supplement existing nationwide, nonclinical norms. The predictive validity of the QOLI in a university counseling center was supported in terms of its ability to predict academic retention both by itself and in conjunction with cumulative G.P.A. one to three years in advance. The QOLI was also found to be sensitive to treatment-related change in two, naturalistic clinical settings and samples, that is, a managed care/substance abuse and a university counseling center setting. The interpretation and clinical utility of measures of quality of life and life satisfaction are discussed along with an agenda for further research.
Human milk composition: nutrients and bioactive factors

This article provides an overview of the composition of human milk, its variation, and its clinical relevance. The composition of human milk is the biological norm for infant nutrition. Human milk also contains many hundreds to thousands of distinct bioactive molecules that protect against infection and inflammation and contribute to immune maturation, organ development, and healthy microbial colonization. Some of these molecules (eg, lactoferrin) are being investigated as novel therapeutic agents. Human milk changes in composition from colostrum to late lactation, within feeds, by gestational age, diurnally, and between mothers. Feeding infants with expressed human milk is increasing.
Dietary Patterns and Cognitive Function among Older Community-Dwelling Adults

Diet may be an important modifiable risk factor for maintenance of cognitive health in later life. This study aimed at examining associations between common dietary indices and dietary patterns defined by factor analysis and cognitive function in older community-dwelling adults. Dietary information for 1499 participants from the Rancho Bernardo Study was collected in 1988⁻1992 and used to calculate the alternate Mediterranean diet score, Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI)-2010 score and factor scores derived from factor analysis of nutrients. Global cognitive function, executive function, verbal fluency and episodic memory were assessed at approximate four-year intervals from 1988⁻2016. Linear mixed models were used to examine associations between dietary patterns and cognitive trajectories. Estimates for the highest vs. lowest tertile in models adjusting for age, sex, education, energy intake, lifestyle variables and retest effect showed greater adherence to the Mediterranean score was associated with better baseline global cognitive function (β (95% CI) = 0.33 (0.11, 0.55)). The AHEI-2010 score was not significantly associated with cognitive performance. Higher loading on a plant polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)/vitamin E factor was associated with better baseline global cognitive function and executive function (β = 0.22 (0.02, 0.42) and β = -7.85 (-13.20, -2.47)). A sugar/low protein factor was associated with poorer baseline cognitive function across multiple domains. Dietary patterns were not associated with cognitive decline over time. Adherence to a healthy diet with foods high in PUFA and vitamin E and a low sugar to protein ratio, as typified by a Mediterranean diet, may be beneficial for cognitive health in late life.
Competency Based Approach to Community Health (COACH): The methods of a family-centered, community-based, individually adaptive obesity randomized trial for pre-school child-parent pairs.

Abstract Competency-Based Approaches to Community Health (COACH) is a randomized controlled trial of a family-centered, community-based, and individually-tailored behavioral intervention for childhood obesity among Latino pre-school children. COACH focuses on improving personal agency for health behavior change by tailoring content to overcome contextual barriers. The intervention focuses on diet, physical activity, sleep, media use, and engaged parenting. The content is individually adapted based on routine assessments of competency in specific health behaviors using a mobile health platform and novel measurement tools developed by our team. In response to these regular assessments, health coaches provide tailored health behavior change strategies to help families focus on the areas where they decide to improve the most. The intervention consists of a 15-week group-based intensive phase, with weekly sessions delivered by health coaches in community centers. Following weekly sessions, a 3-month maintenance phase of the intervention consists of twice monthly coaching calls for participants to focus on individual health goals for their families. The primary outcome of the trial is child body mass index trajectory over 1 year. Secondary outcomes include parent body mass index change, child waist circumference, child diet, child physical activity, and other psychosocial mediators of child health behavior change. The control arm consists of a school readiness intervention, delivered by the Nashville Public Library. By applying a personalized approach to child behavior change, in the setting of both family and community, COACH aims to develop sustainable solutions for childhood obesity by supporting healthy childhood growth in low-income, minority preschool children.
Effect of Fall-Applied Residual Herbicides on Rice Growth and Yield

Glyphosate-resistant (GR) Italian ryegrass is one of the most troublesome weeds in Mississippi row crop production. Fall-applied residual herbicide applications are recommended for control of GR Italian ryegrass. However, carryover of residual herbicides applied in fields for rice production can have a negative impact on rice performance. Field studies were conducted in Stoneville, MS, to determine the effects of fall-applied residual herbicides on rice growth and yield. Herbicide treatments included suggested use rates (1 × ) of clomazone at 840 g ai ha-1, pyroxasulfone 170 g ai ha-1, S-metolachlor 1,420 g ai ha-1, and trifluralin 1,680 g ai ha-1, and two times (2 × ) the suggested use rates in the fall before rice seeding. Pooled across application rate, pyroxasulfone, S-metolachlor, and trifluralin injured rice to an extent 28% to 36% greater than clomazone 14 d after emergence (DAE). Rice seedling density and height 14 DAE and rice maturity were negatively affected by all fallapplied herbicides except clomazone. Applications at 2 × rates reduced rough rice yields in plots treated with pyroxasulfone, S-metolachlor, and trifluralin compared with clomazone. Pyroxasulfone applied at the 2 × rate reduced rough rice yield 22% compared with the 1 × rate. Rough rice yield was 90% or greater of the nontreated control in plots treated with either rate of S-metolachlor, and these were comparable with rough rice yields from plots treated with both rates of trifluralin and the 1 × rate of pyroxasulfone. Early-season injury and reductions in seedling density and height 14 DAE, would preclude even 1 × applications of pyroxasulfone, S-metolachlor, and trifluralin from being viable options for residual herbicide treatments targeting GR Italian ryegrass in the fall before rice seeding. Of the herbicides evaluated, only clomazone should be utilized as a fall-applied residual herbicide treatment targeting GR Italian ryegrass before seeding rice.Nomenclature: Clomazone; S-metolachlor; trifluralin; pyroxasulfone; rice, Oryza sativa L.; Italian ryegrass, Lolium perenne ssp. multiflorum (Lam.) Husn
Molecules mimicking atoms: monomers and dimers of alkali metal solvated electron precursors

Tetra-amino lithium and sodium complexes M(NH3)0,−4 (M = Li, Na) have one or two electrons that occupy diffuse orbitals distributed chiefly outside the M(NH3)+4 core. The lowest-energy 1s, 1p, and 1d orbitals follow Aufbau principles found earlier for beryllium tetra-ammonia complexes. Two ground state M(NH3)4 complexes can bind covalently by coupling their 1s1 electrons into a σ-type molecular orbital. The lowest excited states of the [M(NH3)4]2 species are obtained by promoting one or two electrons from this σ to other bonding or anti-bonding σ and π-type molecular orbitals. The electronic structure of solvated electron precursors provides insights into chemical bonding between super-atomic species that are present in concentrated alkali-metal–ammonia solutions.
Current Perceptions: The DNP-PhD Divide.

Background Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and PhD degrees are terminal degrees in nursing, yet they differ in preparation and intended purpose. Perceptions of DNP- and PhD-prepared faculty, staff, and administrators regarding DNP/PhD teaching roles, research expectations, and attitudes toward collaboration are poorly understood. Objective This mixed-method study sought to identify current perceptions related to collaboration and utilization of DNP- and PhD-prepared faculty, staff, and administrators. Methods Quantitative survey responses were obtained from 55 DNP- or PhD-prepared individuals, followed by qualitative interviews of eight participants. Results Qualitative findings identified DNP-PhD division, lack of collaboration, and sub-optimal utilization of DNP and PhD individuals. Significant quantitative findings identified perceptions that increased collaboration would enhance student learning and increase research success. Conclusions Administrators should make organizational changes that break down barriers between DNP- and PhD-prepared faculty, staff, and administrators. Implications for nursing University administrators can optimize student success by finding ways to bridge the divide between DNP- and PhD-prepared faculty, staff, and administrators.
The PAF1c Subunit CDC73 Is Required for Mouse Hematopoietic Stem Cell Maintenance but Displays Leukemia-Specific Gene Regulation

Summary The Polymerase Associated Factor 1 complex (PAF1c) functions at the interface of epigenetics and gene transcription. The PAF1c is required for MLL fusion-driven acute myeloid leukemia (AML) through direct regulation of pro-leukemic target genes such as Hoxa9 and Meis1. However, the role of the PAF1c in normal hematopoiesis is unknown. Here, we discovered that the PAF1c subunit, CDC73, is required for both fetal and adult hematopoiesis. Loss of Cdc73 in hematopoietic cells is lethal because of extensive bone marrow failure. Cdc73 has an essential cell-autonomous role for adult hematopoietic stem cell function in vivo, and deletion of Cdc73 results in cell-cycle defects in hematopoietic progenitors. Gene expression profiling indicated a differential regulation of Hoxa9/Meis1 gene programs by CDC73 in progenitors compared with AML cells, suggesting disease-specific functions. Thus, the PAF1c subunit, CDC73 is essential for hematopoietic stem cell function but exhibits leukemia-specific regulation of self-renewal gene programs in AML cells.
Solvation-dependent switching of solid-state luminescence of a fluorinated aromatic tetrapyrazole

Creating stimuli-responsive materials with switchable solid-state luminescence remains a challenge. We report that the solvation of a novel organic fluorophore can be utilized to prepare such a material, which emits in the blue (442-446 nm) region when wet and in the green (497-503 nm) region when dry.
Synthesis of ribosomal protein without de, novo ribosome production during differentiation in Blastocladiella, emersonii☆

Abstract The synthesis of ribosomal protein was found to occur without de , novo ribosome synthesis during zoosporangium development in Blastocladiella , emersonii . The amount of ribosomal protein synthesized was greatly reduced, compared to the growth phase level of synthesis. The production of novel proteins was not detected, but turnover was found to occur for all the ribosomal proteins analyzed. There was considerable heterogeneity in the relative rates of turnover for different proteins, with the smallest proteins turning over most rapidly.
The ruminal bacterial community in lactating dairy cows has limited variation on a day-to-day basis

Dairy cows rely on a complex ruminal microbiota to digest their host-indigestible feed. Our ability to characterize this microbiota has advanced significantly due to developments in next-generation sequencing. However, efforts to sample the rumen, which typically involves removing digesta directly from the rumen via a cannula, intubation, or rumenocentesis, is costly and labor intensive. As a result, the majority of studies characterizing the rumen microbiota are conducted on samples collected at a single time point. Currently, it is unknown whether there is significant day-to-day variation in the rumen microbiota, a factor that could strongly influence conclusion drawn from studies that sample at a single time point. To address this, we examined day-to-day changes in the ruminal microbiota of lactating dairy cows using next-generation sequencing to determine if single-day sampling is representative of sampling across 3 consecutive days. We sequenced single-day solid and liquid fractions of ruminal digesta collected over 3 consecutive days from 12 cannulated dairy cows during the early, middle, and late stages of a single lactation cycle using the V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. We then generated 97% similarity operational taxonomic units (OTUs) from these sequences and showed that any of the individual samples from a given 3-day sampling period is equivalent to the mean OTUs determined from the combined 3-d data set. This finding was consistent for both solid and liquid fractions of the rumen, and we thus conclude that there is limited day-to-day variability in the rumen microbiota.
Repeat stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for salvage of isolated local recurrence after definitive lung SBRT.

Abstract Purpose Optimal management of isolated local recurrences after stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for early non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unknown and literature describing repeat SBRT for in-field recurrences after initial SBRT are sparse. We investigate the safety and efficacy of salvage SBRT for isolated local failures after initial SBRT for NSCLC. Methods/Materials Patients receiving SBRT for isolated local recurrence after initial SBRT for early NSCLC were identified using a prospective registry. Both courses were 3–5 fractions with a biologically effective dose (BED10) of ≥100 Gy. Local failure was defined as within 1 cm of the initial planning target volume (PTV) or an overlap of the ≥25% isodose lines of the first and second treatments. Failures >1 cm beyond the PTV and without ≥25% overlap, or with additional recurrence sites were excluded. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to estimate survival. Results A total 21 patients receiving salvage SBRT from 2008 to 2017 were identified. Median interval from initial SBRT to salvage SBRT was 23 months (7–52). Six patients (29%) had central tumors. Median follow-up time from salvage SBRT was 24 months (3–60). Median overall survival after salvage was 39 months. After reirradiation, two-year primary tumor control was 81%, regional nodal control was 89%, distant control was 75% and overall survival was 68%. Grade 2 pneumonitis occurred in 2 patients (10%) and grade 2 chest wall toxicity in 4 patients (19%). No grade 3+ toxicity was observed. Conclusions Salvage SBRT for isolated local failures after initial SBRT appears safe, with low treatment-related toxicity and encouraging rates of tumor control.
Microbial communities of the Laurentian Great Lakes reflect connectivity and local biogeochemistry

The Laurentian Great Lakes are a vast, interconnected freshwater system spanning strong physicochemical gradients, thus constituting a powerful natural laboratory for addressing fundamental questions about microbial ecology and evolution. We present a comparative analysis of pelagic microbial communities across all five Laurentian Great Lakes, focusing on Bacterial and Archaeal picoplankton characterized via 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. We collected samples throughout the water column from the major basins of each lake in spring and summer over 2 years. Two oligotypes, classified as LD12 (Alphaproteobacteria) and acI-B1 (Actinobacteria), were among the most abundant in every sample. At the same time, microbial communities showed distinct patterns with depth during summer stratification. Deep hypolimnion samples were frequently dominated by a Chloroflexi oligotype that reached up to 19% relative abundance. Stratified surface communities differed between the colder, less productive upper lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron) and warmer, more productive lower lakes (Erie, Ontario), in part due to an Actinobacteria oligotype (acI-C2) that averaged 7.7% of sequences in the lower lakes but <0.2% in the upper lakes. Together, our findings suggest that both hydrologic connectivity and local selective pressures shape microbial communities in the Great Lakes and establish a framework for future investigations.
CRSP for Teaching

Most finance professors, at least in the North America, are quite familiar with the CRSP database, which contains historical trading data for all American listed stocks. However, few use it in their classrooms for three reasons: it is difficult to retrieve data; time consuming to explain and does not have recently available data, i.e. for yesterday or last month. In this paper, I present an effective way to solve those shortcomings. Two words could be used to describe my method: “trivial” and “fast”. “Trivial” means that the method is so simple that it needs just a one-page long instruction. “Fast” means that loading a data set takes just a few seconds. For example, it takes just 5 seconds to load CRSP monthly data (which contains 32,676 stocks over 92 years). Another advantage of my approach is that we could retrieve IBM’s data from 1926 up to yesterday by combining CRSP with Yahoo!Finance. Over the last 5 years, more than 50 schools have launched Business Analytics/Data Analytics programs. For those programs, CRSP is an ideal database they should use for machine learning, data visualization, cluster analysis, portfolio optimization and bankruptcy prediction.
The increasing temperature as driving force for spatial distribution patterns of Parapenaeus longirostris (Lucas 1846) in the Strait of Sicily (Central Mediterranean Sea)

Abstract The deep-water rose shrimp Parapenaeus longirostris (DPS), a demersal decapod representing the most important component of crustacean landings in the Mediterranean Sea, has been suggested as a species that may exhibit temperature-driven changes in the spatio-temporal dynamics. Considering that Mediterranean waters are warming up faster than oceans, understanding the relationships of DPS populations with temperature variations and the related changes in spatial patterns is absolutely key for its management. Using a long-term dataset covering 13-years from scientific surveys (International Bottom Trawl-Surveys in the Mediterranean, MEDITS; Italian national trawl surveys, GRUND) in the Strait of Sicily (central Mediterranean Sea), the annual DPS spatial patches and the depth distribution were investigated using geostatistical and quotient analyses. The patches dimension and depth range occupation were then related to sea temperature by using linear regression analysis. Results showed that both the dimension of DPS spatial patches and the depth distribution range occupied increased concurrently with temperature. Our findings corroborate that the ongoing sea warming widen areas suitable for this species and in which it can expand its spatial distribution.
mmASL: Environment-Independent ASL Gesture Recognition Using 60 GHz Millimeter-wave Signals

Home assistant devices such as Amazon Echo and Google Home have become tremendously popular in the last couple of years. However, due to their voice-controlled functionality, these devices are not accessible to Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) people. Given that over half a million people in the United States communicate using American Sign Language (ASL), there is a need of a home assistant system that can recognize ASL. The objective of this work is to design a home assistant system for DHH users (referred to as mmASL) that can perform ASL recognition using 60 GHz millimeter-wave wireless signals. mmASL has two important components. First, it can perform reliable wake-word detection using spatial spectrograms. Second, using a scalable and extensible multi-task deep learning model, mmASL can learn the phonological properties of ASL signs and use them to accurately recognize the ASL signs. We implement mmASL on 60 GHz software radio platform with phased array, and evaluate it using a large-scale data collection from 15 signers, 50 ASL signs and over 12K sign instances. We show that mmASL is tolerant to the presence of other interfering users and their activities, change of environment and different user positions. We compare mmASL with a well-studied Kinect and RGB camera based ASL recognition systems, and find that it can achieve a comparable performance (87% average accuracy of sign recognition), validating the feasibility of using 60 GHz mmWave system for ASL sign recognition.
Discriminative Latent Variable Grammars

As we saw in the previous chapter, learning a refined latent variable grammar involves the estimation of a set of grammar parameters θ on latent annotations despite the fact that the original trees lack the latent annotations. In the previous chapter, we considered generative grammars, where the parameters θ are set to maximize the joint likelihood of the training sentences and their parse trees. In this section we will consider discriminative grammars, where the parameters θ are set to maximize the likelihood of the correct parse tree (vs. all possible trees) given a sentence.
Human-Robot Interaction: Controller Design and Stability

In this paper we derive the control parameter gains required to guarantee a stable human-robot interaction (HRI). One goal in HRI research field is to reduce the robot mechanical impedance and enable humans to easily manipulate the robot. Force feedback is an effective way to reduce robot inertia and friction, but stability is paramount especially when interacting with humans. This paper discusses gains and stability boundaries. The phase response of the open loop transfer function that represents the human robot interaction is used to derive the gains. The environment is modeled as a second-order spring-mass-damper system. The stability boundaries correspond to the region when the phase response of the transfer function becomes greater than –180° at all frequencies. This enables the system to interact stably regardless of the environment second-order system parameters. One of the interesting results is that the virtual spring used to generate the impedance field has nothing to do with the stability condition. The experimental results show the validity of our method.
The Basics of Ventilator Waveforms

Knowledge of ventilator waveforms is important for clinicians working with children requiring mechanical ventilation. This review covers the basics of how to interpret and use data from ventilator waveforms in the pediatric intensive care unit. Patient-ventilator asynchrony (PVA) is a common finding in pediatric patients and observed in approximately one-third of ventilator breaths. PVA is associated with worse outcomes including increased length of mechanical ventilation, increased length of stay, and increased mortality. Identification of PVA is possible with a thorough knowledge of ventilator waveforms. Ventilator waveforms are graphical descriptions of how a breath is delivered to a patient. These include three scalars (flow versus time, volume versus time, and pressure versus time) and two loops (pressure-volume and flow-volume). Thorough understanding of both scalars and loops, and their characteristic appearances, is essential to being able to evaluate a patient’s respiratory mechanics and interaction with the ventilator.
An association test for functional data based on Kendall’s Tau

Abstract We consider the problem of testing for association between a functional variable belonging to a Hilbert space and a scalar variable. Particularly, we propose a distribution-free test statistic based on Kendall’s Tau, which is a popular method for determining the association between two random variables. The distribution of the test statistic under the null hypothesis of independence is established using the theory of U-statistics taking values in a Hilbert space. We also consider the case where the functional data is sparsely observed, a situation that arises in many applications. Simulations show that the proposed method outperforms the alternatives under multiple settings, demonstrating the effectiveness and robustness of our approach. We provide data applications that further showcase the utility of our method.
Readiness for organizational change: Do organizational commitment and social relationships in the workplace make a difference?

Businesses are confronting continuous and unparalleled changes. For organizations to assist employees in being motivated and prepared for change, it is essential that managers, leaders, and organization development professionals understand factors that may influence individual change readiness. The purpose of the research study examined here was to investigate the relationship between readiness for change and two of these possible factors: organizational commitment and social relationships in the workplace. Four hundred sixty-four usable surveys were returned from full-time employees in four companies in two northern Utah counties. The findings indicate significant relationships between readiness for change, organizational commitment, and social relationships. Relationships were also found between readiness for change and number of children, social relationships and gender, and organization commitment or one of its three components (identification, job involvement, and loyalty) and employee age, educational level, and gender.
Digital Media and Social Movements: Obstacles to Building a Global Media Ethic

This chapter will outline three criteria associated with ethical political communication (intent, justice, and integrity), and discuss three, interrelated obstacles that undermine the ability of activists to cultivate a global media ethic. The three obstacles are: (1) the lack of a global commitment to free speech and a democratic free press, which makes it very difficult for activists in some countries to communicate their ideas at all; (2) the spread of disinformation by actors interested in either gaining (or maintaining) power over the citizenry, which undermines the integrity of communication regarding political issues; and (3) the use of disinformation to disrupt democratic processes (such as elections) and undermine democracy more generally, which skews the media environment in favor of “bad” actors and makes it difficult for activists to engage audiences outside of polarized online communities.
Monolithic distributed power supply for a mixed-signal integrated circuit

Monolithic power conversion is one of the key enabling technologies for future wireless applications, which require high level of integration, low cost, and long battery life. This paper reports the results of a monolithic distributed power supply, which consists of a single stage and two-stage interleaved zero-voltage switching (ZVS) synchronous buck converters. By evolving to higher switching frequencies, the values of inductors and capacitors are reduced to values suitable for integration. A 0.18 /spl mu/m SiGe RF BiCMOS process technology with high quality integrated passive devices is used for fabrication.
Securing wireless communication in heterogeneous environments

With the convergence of mobile devices and the Internet, ubiquitous computing promises to revolutionize the way that we access services and run applications. However, ubiquitous computing environments, in particular, mobile and wireless environments interfaced with the Internet, currently possess security vulnerabilities that are ripe for attack from cyber-threats. Thus, this paper discusses the limitations of current security mechanisms in ubiquitous (but heterogeneous) computing environments and presents a general-purpose infrastructure that addresses these limitations, thus allowing heterogeneous environments to communicate in a secure manner. These heterogeneous environments of the future will be interoperable and will include environments such as wireless sensor networks, mobile communication, and computational grids.
Accounting for nonmarket activities in the distribution of income: an empirical investigation

This study used data from the 1976-77 Malaysian Family Life Survey to test the hypothesis that traditional income measures that exclude household production activities underestimate the well-being of the poor and overstate inequality. Mean levels of 9 components of income were considered. When net transfer payments the value of services provided by living in a home one owns in-kind income and the imputed value of cottage industry production were added to the 3 standard components of household income (wage income business income and capital and interest income) average annual household income was increased by 17%. Another 17% increase occurred when the value of housework was added to total observable income. Finally inclusion of the value of cooking and child care yielded a composite measure of actual income whose mean exceeded the mean of the 3 standard measures of household income by 56%. As the definition of income is broadened inequality unambiguously falls. The income share of the poorest quintile of the sample increased by more than 40% when the various in-kind forms of income were added. Although a failure to consider nonmarket sources of income leads to a serious understatement of the well-being of the poorest 20% of the population a failure to adjust for variation in leisure consumption leads to an overstatement. Malaysian poor appear to compensate for their low market income by producing many goods and services for their own consumption a practice that implies above average working hours and a sacrifice in the area of leisure consumption. When incomes are standardized to eliminate variation in hours of leisure measures of income inequality are sensitive to the number of hours chosen for standardization: generally the larger the average number of work hours on which one standardizes the lower the estimate of inequality. This finding suggests that much of what has been described as increasing equality due to economic growth may be spurious.
Brain MRS of Human Subjects

The sections in this article are 1 Introduction 2 1H and 31P Spectra 3 Normal Brain Function: Lactate in Human Sensory Systems 4 Stroke 5 Epilepsy 6 Dementia 7 Brain Tumors 8 Multiple Sclerosis 9 The Future of Human Brain MRS 10 Recent Progress 11 Acknowledgements 12 Biographical Sketch Related Articles
Die einfache Sprache A

Die symbolische Logik (auch mathematische Logik oder Logistik genannt) ist die moderne Form der Logik, die in den letzten hundert Jahren entwickelt worden ist. In diesem Buch wird ein System der symbolischen Logik dargestellt und werden Beispiele zu seiner Anwendung gegeben. Ein solches System ist nicht eine Theorie, d. h. ein System von Behauptungen uber irgend welche Gegenstande, sondern eine Sprache, d. h. ein System von Zeichen und von Regeln zur Verwendung dieser Zeichen. Wir werden die symbolische Sprache so aufbauen, das man Satze irgend einer gegebenen Theorie uber irgend welche Gegenstande in diese Sprache ubersetzen kann, wenn man zuvor einigen Zeichen dieser Sprache eine bestimmte Deutung gibt, namlich so, das sie zur Bezeichnung der Grundbegriffe der betreffenden Theorie dienen. Solange wir uns im Bereich der reinen Logik befinden, d. h. solange wir mit der Aufstellung dieser Sprache beschaftigt sind und noch nicht mit ihrer Anwendung und Deutung fur eine bestimmte Theorie, bleiben die betreffenden Zeichen unserer Sprache ungedeutet. Genau genommen stellen wir also nicht eine Sprache, sondern ein Schema oder Skelett einer Sprache auf, aus dem wir je nach Bedarf durch Deutung gewisser Zeichen eine eigentliche Sprache — im Sinn eines Instrumentes der Mitteilung — schaffen konnen. Im zweiten Teil des Buches werden verschiedene derartige Deutungen behandelt und Theorien verschiedener Wissenschaftsgebiete, meist in axiomatischer Form, symbolisch formuliert. Das ist die angewandte Logik. Der erste Teil des Buches stellt die rein e Logik dar; hier beschreiben wir die Struktur der symbolischen Sprache, indem wir ihre Regeln angeben.
The Pentaquark Candidates in the Dynamical Diquark Picture

Abstract Starting with the dynamical picture of the exotic c c ¯ -containing states XYZ as the confinement-induced hadronization of a rapidly separating pair of a compact diquark and antidiquark, we describe the pentaquark candidates P c + ( 4380 ) and P c + ( 4450 ) in terms of a confined but rapidly separating color-antitriplet diquark cu and color-triplet “triquark” c ¯ ( u d ) . This separation explains the relatively small P c + widths, despite these 5-quark systems lying far above both the J / ψ p and Λ c D ¯ ( ⁎ ) 0 thresholds. The P c + states are predicted to form isospin doublets with neutral partners P c 0 .
Neal Feigenson and Christina Spiesel: Law on Display: The Digital Transformation of Legal Persuasion and Judgment

In Law on Display, authors Neal Feigenson and Christina Spiesel offer us a unified and thoughtful way to parse digital images not just about the legal system, but about the manner in which we interpret it. They ask a fundamental question: do those digital images that we rely on, particularly for evidence, and that indeed sometimes we label as evidence represent reality? And if so, in what way? Attractive as it was, we never should have assumed the truth of the statement, "the camera never lies". Now that digital technology is part of the lawyer's courtroom paraphernalia, and as lawyers eagerly learn to command and control the capabilities of the videotape, the multimedia presentation, the audioclip, and the Powerpoint slide, all of which are so familiar and so persuasive to us in our daily lives, we must also learn how to deconstruct them. We must learn why they have such narrative power, more even than the educated and studied voice of the practiced, professional attorney who addresse... Language: en