cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A survey on fuzzy ontologies for the Semantic Web

Ontology, as a standard (World Wide Web Consortium recommendation) for representing knowledge in the Semantic Web, has become a fundamental and critical component for developing applications in different real-world scenarios. However, it is widely pointed out that classical ontology model is not sufficient to deal with imprecise and vague knowledge strongly characterizing some real-world applications. Thus, a requirement of extending ontologies naturally arises in many practical applications of knowledge-based systems, in particular the Semantic Web. In order to provide the necessary means to handle such vague and imprecise information there are today many proposals for fuzzy extensions to ontologies, and until now the literature on fuzzy ontologies has been flourishing. To investigate fuzzy ontologies and more importantly serve as helping readers grasp the main ideas and results of fuzzy ontologies, and to highlight an ongoing research on fuzzy approaches for knowledge semantic representation based on ontologies, as well as their applications on various domains, in this paper, we provide a comprehensive overview of fuzzy ontologies. In detail, we first introduce fuzzy ontologies from the most common aspects such as representation (including categories, formal definitions, representation languages, and tools of fuzzy ontologies), reasoning (including reasoning techniques and reasoners), and applications (the most relevant applications about fuzzy ontologies). Then, the other important issues on fuzzy ontologies, such as construction, mapping, integration, query, storage, evaluation, extension, and directions for future research, are also discussed in detail. Also, we make some comparisons and analyses in our whole review.
Effect of heart failure on catecholamine granule morphology and storage in chromaffin cells.

One of the key mechanisms involved in sympathoexcitation in chronic heart failure (HF) is the activation of the adrenal glands. Impact of the elevated catecholamines on the hemodynamic parameters has been previously demonstrated. However, studies linking the structural effects of such overactivation with secretory performance and cell metabolism in the adrenomedullary chromaffin cells in vivo have not been previously reported. In this study, HF was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats by ligation of the left coronary artery. Five weeks after surgery, cardiac function was assessed by ventricular hemodynamics. HF rats showed increased adrenal weight and adrenal catecholamine levels (norepinephrine, epinephrine and dopamine) compared with sham-operated rats. Rats with HF demonstrated increased small synaptic and dense core vesicle in splanchnic–adrenal synapses indicating trans-synaptic activation of catecholamine biosynthetic enzymes, increased endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi lumen width to meet the demand of increased catecholamine synthesis and release, and more mitochondria with dilated cristae and glycogen to accommodate for the increased energy demand for the increased biogenesis and exocytosis of catecholamines from the adrenal medulla. These findings suggest that increased trans-synaptic activation of the chromaffin cells within the adrenal medulla may lead to increased catecholamines in the circulation which in turn contributes to the enhanced neurohumoral drive, providing a unique mechanistic insight for enhanced catecholamine levels in plasma commonly observed in chronic HF condition.
Consensus thermotolerance ranking for 110 Symbiodinium phylotypes: an exemplar utilization of a novel iterative partial-rank aggregation tool with broad application potential

Summary 1.Corals may reduce the effects of heat-induced bleaching through associations with thermotolerant algal symbionts (Symbiodinium). Although hundreds of Symbiodinium genetic types (phylotypes) are known, thermotolerance has been systematically evaluated for small subsamples within individual reports, making consensus a challenging task. 2.Data on 110 phylotypes were aggregated from 35 reports, each assessing 2–24 phylotypes (median 4). One-third of reports include ties (phylotypes with indistinguishable thermotolerance). Between reports, most phylotypes are unique (74% assessed once), most pairwise comparisons are unknown (relative thermotolerance for 15% of the possible 5,995 phylotype pairs are evaluated), and many rankings are inconsistent (52% of 58 phylotype pairs assessed in more than one report are discordantly ranked). 3.Ranking of Symbiodinium phylotypes resulted in 64 thermotolerance cohorts (47 are single phylotypes, 17 contain 2–10 phylotypes with a median of 3 phylotypes) and indicate diverse thermotolerance capabilities within clades and among closely-related phylotypes. 4.The iterative partial-rank aggregation method (with error estimation) introduced here is broadly applicable to any quantitative consensus rank building problem where qualitative input ranks are not fully comprehensive nor resolved. 5.Reconstructions based on simulated data (mirroring an empirical dataset) indicate robust predictive capabilities for resolving rankings (1.28 approximation of the true solution) and inferring unknown pairwise comparisons (83% correctly predicted pair rankings from only 16% known a priori). 6.Application to Symbiodinium phylotypes represents an additional tool to generate testable hypotheses on the role of symbiont thermotolerance in an ecosystem that is collapsing in the face of climate change and provides the first quantitative index of Symbiodinium thermotolerance and its associated uncertainty. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Female Academics in Greek Higher Education: Issues of Organizational Change, Economic Crisis and Social Responsibility

Many women pursue graduate degrees in Greece, however, very few appear in amphitheaters have the role of the professor (higher rank in academia) and very few serve and act as leaders in higher education governance. Nevertheless this is a common issue in several higher education systems worldwide and Greece is not an exception. The glass ceiling, it seems, is still firmly in place. Although, beyond this gap women in Greece appear to have a good representation in the area of Research and Development while academics have an active role and quite good representation in lower rank positions in Greek higher education. However, there are no current empirical studies that investigate contemporary challenges about organizational changes and the economic crisis within Greek women’s academics, their triple role (teaching-research-services), job satisfaction and their motivation. The study deals with these subjects. The data consist of legal documents and interviews with 25 Greek female academics.
Practical Issues in Implementing Analog-to-Information Converters

The stability and programmability of digital signal processing systems has motivated engineers to move the analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) process closer and closer to the front end of many signal processing systems in order to perform as much processing as possible in the digital domain. Unfortunately, many important applications, including radar and communication systems, involve wideband signals that seriously stress modern ADCs; sampling these signals above the Nyquist rate is in some cases challenging and in others impossible. While wideband signals by definition have a large bandwidth, often the amount of information they carry per second is much lower; that is, they are compressible in some sense. The first contribution of this paper is a new framework for wideband signal acquisition purpose-built for compressible signals that enables sub-Nyquist data acquisition via an analog-to-information converter (AIC). The framework is based on the recently developed theory of compressive sensitng in which a small number of non-adaptive, randomized measurements are sufficient to reconstruct compressible signals. The second contribution of this paper is an AIC implementation design and study of the tradeoffs and nonidealities introduced by real hardware. The goal is to identify and optimize the parameters that dominate the overall system performance.
Distinct Roles of CREB Within the Ventral and Dorsal Hippocampus in Mediating Nicotine Withdrawal Phenotypes

Addiction to nicotine and the inability to quit smoking are influenced by genetic factors, emphasizing the importance of understanding how genes and drugs of abuse mechanistically impact each other. One well-characterized protein responsible for regulating both response to drugs and gene expression is the transcription factor CREB (cAMP-responsive element binding protein). Previous work indicates that hippocampal-specific alterations in CREB signaling and synaptic plasticity may underlie certain nicotine withdrawal phenotypes. However, the structure of the hippocampus possesses dorsal and ventral subregions, each differing in behavioral, anatomic and gene expression characteristics. This study examines the effects of CREB deletion specifically in the ventral or dorsal hippocampus of animals chronically treated with saline, nicotine, or undergoing 24 h withdrawal. After region-specific viral injections of AAV-GFP or AAV-CRE in CREBloxP/loxP animals, behavioral testing measured anxiety levels, using the Novelty-Induced Hypophagia test, and cognition, using a contextual fear conditioning paradigm. Deletion of CREB in the ventral, but not dorsal, hippocampus resulted in amelioration of nicotine withdrawal-induced anxiety-like behavior in the Novelty-Induced Hypophagia test. In contrast, CREB deletion in the dorsal hippocampus resulted in learning and memory deficits in fear conditioning, whereas CREB deletion in the ventral hippocampus showed an enhancement in learning. Gene expression analysis showed differential treatment- and region-dependent alterations of several CREB target genes that are well-known markers of neuroplasticity within the hippocampus. Collectively, these data provide persuasive evidence towards the distinct roles of CREB within the dorsal and ventral hippocampus separately in mediating select nicotine withdrawal phenotypes.
Differences between polymorphic variants of UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) active against the major tamoxifen metabolite, endoxifen: Potential impact on individual response of TAM treatment.

B99 Tamoxifen (TAM) is widely used in the treatment and prevention of breast cancer. trans-4-hydroxy-tamoxifen (4-OH-TAM) and 4-hydroxy-N-desmethyl-TAM (endoxifen) are the major active metabolites of TAM, exhibiting 100-fold higher anti-estrogenic activity than TAM itself, with endoxifen concentrations reaching plasma concentrations that are 6-12-fold higher than that of 4-OH-TAM. One of the major mechanisms of elimination of TAM and its metabolites is by glucuronidation. In the present study, characterization of endoxifen glucuronidation by individual UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) and relevant UGT polymorphic variants was determined. In vitro assays using human liver microsomes demonstrated that both the trans and cis isomers of endoxifen were catalyzed solely by O-glucuronidation. Of the UGT-over-expressing cell lines tested, the highest overall activity as determined by kinetic analysis (Vmax/Km) were UGTs 1A10>1A8>2B7>1A3≈1A9>1A1≈1A7 for trans-endoxifen, and 1A10>1A9>2B7>1A7>1A8>1A3>1A1 for cis-endoxifen. Although antibodies against UGTs 2B15 and 2B17 were unavailable, both enzymes demonstrated high levels of activity towards cis-endoxifen as determined by Km analysis. Similar to that observed in liver microsomes, all individual UGTs catalyzed endoxifen-O-glucuronide formation. No detectable activity was observed for UGTs 1A4, 1A6, 2B4, 2B10 and 2B11 against either endoxifen isomer. The UGT1A10139Lys and UGT2B7268Tyr variants exhibited significantly (p
A geometrical and logical unification of mind, light and matter

It is shown that an unexpected logical exposition of Dirac 3-polarizer experiment leads to a bipolar equilibrium-based geometrical and logical architecture for the unification of mind, light and matter. It is argued that, without light as a bridge, mind-matter unification would be impossible. An axiomatic proof is presented for the unification with an extension to Godel's incompleteness theorems. Bipolar knowledge representation is illustrated in computational psychopharmacology and information conservational quantum computing. The logical basis of this work is philosophically distinguished from that of Aristotle, Leibniz and Bohr.
40 – Gastrointestinal Motility

This chapter discusses the physiology of smooth muscle contraction of the gut, with special reference to aspects of the techniques to measure contractile activity. Gastrointestinal (GI) motility depends on the presence of contractile activity within the gut to create the forces that move intestinal content distally (or proximally during vomiting). One might choose to measure contractile activity either directly or indirectly, or to measure the movement/transit of the luminal content out of the stomach (gastric emptying), through the small and/or large intestine (intestinal transit), and finally its discharge from the gut (defecation). GI motility ultimately depends on intestinal smooth muscle contractions that generate the force needed to move intraluminal content along the gut. The final common pathway of intestinal smooth muscle contractions depends on the intracellular release of calcium. Once liberated, the intracellular calcium induces the intracellular mechanisms controlling interaction of contractile proteins leading to cell shortening.
Do FDA label changes work? Assessment of the 2010 class label change for proton pump inhibitors using the Sentinel System's analytic tools

Purpose To pilot use of the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) Sentinel System data and analytic tools by a non-FDA stakeholder through the Innovation in Medical Evidence Development and Surveillance system of the Reagan Udall Foundation. We evaluated the US FDA 2010 proton pump inhibitor (PPI) class label change that warned of increased risk of bone fracture, to use PPIs for the lowest dose and shortest duration, and to manage bone status for those at risk for osteoporosis. Methods The cohort consisted of adults aged 18 years or older prescribed PPIs without fracture risk factors. We evaluated incident and prevalent uses of the 8 PPIs noted in the label change. Outcomes evaluated before and after label change were PPI dispensing patterns, incident fractures, and osteoporosis screening or interventions. Consistent with FDA use of descriptive tools, we did not include direct comparisons or statistical testing. Results There were 1 488 869 and 2 224 420 incident PPI users in the before [PRE] and after [POST] periods, respectively. Users with 1 year or more of exposure decreased (8.4% vs 7.5%), as did mean days supplied/user (130.4 to 113.7 d among all users and 830.8 to 645.4 d among users with 1 y or more of exposure). Osteoporosis screening and interventions did not appear to increase, but the proportion of patients with fractures decreased (4.4% vs 3.1%). Prevalent user results were similar. Conclusions This analysis demonstrated the ability to use Sentinel tools to assess the effectiveness of a label change and accompanying communication at the population level and suggests an influence on subsequent dispensing behavior.
A brief practical review of size exclusion chromatography: Rules of thumb, limitations, and troubleshooting.

Abstract Through years of research, teaching, troubleshooting, and editing, I have developed a solid working understanding of many aspects of protein purification and protein biochemistry. I have also found that many researchers do not understand the basics, let alone the pitfalls, of the techniques they use. In the case of size exclusion chromatography (SEC), I summarize below some of the rules of thumb, suggestions, limitations and troubleshooting I have found most useful in helping my students and colleagues carry out successful SEC.
Internet Addiction Diagnosis and Assessment: Implications for Counselors

The rapid development and increased availability of the Internet has led some researchers to examine the effects excessive usage has on an individual's social, emotional, cognitive, and physical de...
Correlates and buffers of school avoidance: a review of school avoidance literature and applying social capital as a potential safeguard

School avoidance has increasingly become a major issue among adolescents. Research shows that students who avoid school are significantly more likely to experience numerous problems including schoo...
Consumption outcomes in clinical trials of alcohol use disorder treatment: Consideration of standard drink misestimation.

Background. The Food and Drug Administration recently added a new clinical endpoint for evaluating the efficacy of alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment that is more inclusive of treatment goals besides abstinence: no heavy drinking days (NHDD). However, numerous critiques have been noted for such binary models of treatment outcome. Further, there is mounting evidence that participants inaccurately estimate the quantities of alcohol they consume during drinking episodes (i.e., drink size misestimation), which may be particularly problematic when using a binary criterion (NHDD) compared to a similar, continuous alternative outcome variable: percent heavy drinking days (PHDD). Yet, the impact of drinking misestimation on binary (e.g., NHDD) versus continuous outcome variables (e.g., PHDD) has not been studied. Objectives. Using simulation methods, the present study examined the potential impact of drink size misestimation on NHDD and PHDD. Methods. Data simulations were based on previously published findings of the amount of error in how much alcohol is actually poured when estimating standard drinks. We started with self-reported daily drinking data from COMBINE study participants with complete data (N = 888; 68.1% male), then simulated inaccuracy in those estimations based on literature on standard drink size misestimation. Results. Clinical trial effect sizes were consistently lower for NHDD than for PHDD. Drink size misestimation further lowered effect sizes for NHDD and PHDD. Conclusions. Drink size misestimation may lead to inaccurate conclusions about drinking outcomes and the comparative effectiveness of AUD treatments, including inflated type-II error rates, particularly when treatment "success" is defined by binary outcomes such as NHDD.
Harnessing Positive Species Interactions to Enhance Coastal Wetland Restoration

Coastal wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems in the world. They generate critical services for humans including shoreline protection, carbon storage, pollution mitigation, and fisheries production. Restoration of coastal wetlands has historically been viewed as a secondary conservation strategy, but recently—given the continued loss of wetlands worldwide—many non-governmental and governmental organizations have elevated habitat restoration to be a primary method for wetland conservation. The long-held paradigm in coastal wetland restoration has been to restore target habitats by reducing physical stressors and avoiding competition among outplants, such as mangrove saplings or Spartina plugs. Recent ecological research, however, reveals that positive species interactions, such as facilitation, are critical to wetland recovery after disturbance. Here, we review the scientific evidence for the importance of positive species interactions in the recovery of salt-marsh and mangrove ecosystems and assess the extent to which they have been integrated into restoration studies. We found that only a small proportion of studies of marsh and mangrove restoration examined the effects of positive species interactions, despite the important role they play in the regrowth of coastal wetlands. We outline how positive species interactions can be systematically incorporated into future restoration work and discuss how this incorporation can help the reestablishment of coastal wetland biota through: (1) trophic facilitation, (2) stress reduction, and (3) associational defenses. The absence of positive interactions in restoration designs may partially explain the significant disparities between the functioning of natural and restored coastal plant ecosystems.
Implant location in type 1 thyroplasty for unilateral vocal fold paralysis: Measurements from excised canine larynges

Patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) complain of a soft breathy voice that is hard to understand. Thyroplasty Type 1 (TT1), the most common surgical intervention for UVFP, uses an implant to push over the membranous fold. There remains controversy regarding TT1 procedures. Questions include the optimal shape and size for the implant, where to place the implant and whether an arytenoid adduction should be added. Despite several studies, no optimal technique has been found, and the revision rate has reported to be as high as 12%–25%. This study aims to understand the impact of implant location on vocal fold vibration. TT1 procedures were performed on excised canine larynges using silastica implants placed either at the glottis or just below the glottis to medialize the folds. Larynges were then made to phonate at various subglottal pressures (Psg), and measurements were taken of the acoustics, supplied flow rate, and Psg. From these measurements, the glottal efficiency was calculated, and the acoustic signal was analyzed to determine the quality of the sound source. On average, larnges medialized in the subglottis had higher glottal efficiency and cepstral peak prominence than those medialized at the glottis, indicating that lower implant location is preferable.Patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) complain of a soft breathy voice that is hard to understand. Thyroplasty Type 1 (TT1), the most common surgical intervention for UVFP, uses an implant to push over the membranous fold. There remains controversy regarding TT1 procedures. Questions include the optimal shape and size for the implant, where to place the implant and whether an arytenoid adduction should be added. Despite several studies, no optimal technique has been found, and the revision rate has reported to be as high as 12%–25%. This study aims to understand the impact of implant location on vocal fold vibration. TT1 procedures were performed on excised canine larynges using silastica implants placed either at the glottis or just below the glottis to medialize the folds. Larynges were then made to phonate at various subglottal pressures (Psg), and measurements were taken of the acoustics, supplied flow rate, and Psg. From these measurements, the glottal efficiency was calculated, and th...
Opioids for Cancer Pain and Hospice Care

Fundamental to exceptional cancer care is the provision of comprehensive cancer-related pain management across the continuum of cancer care, including cancer survivorship and palliative end-of-life care. Despite advances throughout the domains of cancer-directed treatment, pain continues to present a significant burden to patients, families, and the healthcare team. The fundamental application of opioid therapy for treatment of cancer-related pain has broad consensus among the international community. A variety of opioid therapy options exist, including the most widely used pure opioid agonists. As with any cancer therapy, the clinician should possess a thorough understanding of the patient and their medical and psychiatric comorbidities, psychosocial environment, and expectations for cancer pain treatment. The treatment of cancer pain is particularly common once palliative treatment has become the focus of care, including aggressive application in hospice where one of the biggest fears of dying patients is to die with pain. Opioid-related side effects are expected, and the clinician should be adept at mitigating these risks. Ultimately, the goal is to support optimal outcomes of analgesia, improve quality of life, and enhance survival for those living with a cancer diagnosis.
Abstract P5-05-13: Inhibition of NOTCH signaing with g-secretase inhibitor AL101 contributes to overcome resistance against HER2-targeted therapy in HER2 amplified breast cancer cells

Notch signaling affects multiple cellular processes including stem cell maintenance, differentiation, proliferation, motility and survival. Activated NOTCH signaling and up-regulation of tumor-promoting NOTCH target genes are well documented in human breast cancer. Growing evidence suggest the novel role of NOTCH pathway as a survival resistance mechanism against HER2-targeted therapy in the HER2 amplified breast cancer subgroup, accounting for 20% of breast cancers. It was reported that tumor cells that develop intrinsic or acquired resistance to HER2 targeted therapy (at either relapse of the dormant resistant cells or at the progression of HER2 disease), express higher levels of NOTCH pathway genes. The small molecule AL101 is an γ-secretase inhibitor that potently inhibits the activation of all 4 NOTCH receptors (NOTCH1-4). We hypothesize that treatment with AL101, could potentially block activation of this intrinsic resistance mechanism and/or inhibit the acquisition of the acquired resistance. The goal of this study is: (a) to test the efficacy of first line treatment of anti-HER2 drugs combined with AL101, and (b) to test the efficacy of the AL101 as a second line therapy for anti-HER2 resistance breast cancer cells lines. Our study demonstrates the potential utility of HER2-targeted therapy in combination with AL101 as a novel strategy for overcoming the NOTCH signaling induced survival resistance mechanism in HER2 amplified breast cancer cells, and suggests NOTCH inhibitors as potential second-line therapy for recurrent or resistant HER2 amplified breast cancer tumors. Citation Format: Bothaina Nakad, Esther Channah Broner, David Sidransky, Evgeny Izumchenko. Inhibition of NOTCH signaing with g-secretase inhibitor AL101 contributes to overcome resistance against HER2-targeted therapy in HER2 amplified breast cancer cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-05-13.
Estimating reaction kinetics of cementitious pastes containing fly ash

Abstract This paper proposes an approach to estimate reaction kinetics for major fly ash glassy oxides in cementitious mixtures. The approach is compared to experimental results from multiple independent datasets. The kinetic model is based on the rate limiting step for various oxides and phases using the general form of a widely used model for ordinary portland cement (OPC)-based systems. The empirical parameters in the model were fit from dissolution studies for glass oxides in two fly ashes from literature using a nonlinear optimization algorithm. The outputs of the model provide the inputs needed to introduce reaction kinetics into thermodynamic simulations at non-equilibrium conditions. The model is used to determine the amount of each phase that can react by estimating the dissolved mass of each major cement phase and fly ash glass oxide at different ages. This approach enables accurate modeling predictions of solid hydration products (such as calcium hydroxide and ettringite), pore solution pH, and pore solution chemistry at any age for any OPC/fly ash system. Results from the model and thermodynamic calculations are compared to a modeling approach without kinetic constraints on the fly ash, assuming 100% reactivity. The prediction of reaction products made assuming 100% fly ash reactivity significantly differs from experimental values when a fly ash kinetic model is not used. Predictions are greatly improved when the model is used. The model can be used as a framework for future modeling efforts, and the empirical parameters be updated as additional dissolution studies and thermodynamic data become available.
Aware I Am Alone: Intersections of Solitude and Mindfulness

Świadomie jestem samotny. Powiązania samotności i uwazności W niniejszym artykule samotnośc jest zglebiana przez pryzmat uwazności ( mindfulness ). Oba zjawiska – w pewnym sensie podobne do siebie – uzupelniają sie wzajemnie w promowaniu dobrostanu jednostek i wspolnot. W tekście zaprezentowano trzy perspektywy, poprzez ktore uwaznośc moze zasilic podstawowe znaczenia samotności: teoretyczną, praktyczną oraz badawczą. Teoretyczna zapewnia wprowadzenie do rozumienia pojec samotności i uwazności; z tej perspektywy zostaly integralnie ukazane paralele/podobienstwa miedzy rzeczonymi pojeciami. Praktyczna ujmuje samotnośc w aspekcie praktykowania uwazności, wraz z propozycją dodatkowych modeli rozpoznawania samotności jako cześci uwazności. Perspektywa badawcza stanowi podsumowanie projektu badania uwazności doświadczanej samotnie i wspolnotowo z uwzglednieniem biofizycznych danych.
Maintenance-optimized Modular Robotic Concepts for Planetary Surface ISRU Excavators

Modular robotic concepts are identified and evaluated over the design and operations/maintenance lifecycle for autonomous Lunar, Mars, and partial gravity planetary surface excavation and in-situ earthworks equipment. In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) is the exploitation of available resources at the site of a landed spacecraft on the surface of another planetary body. It is intended that this ISRU excavator concept be capable of material extraction from native regolith, and will be able to operate in a variety of planetary surface environments after initial shakedown on the moon. Using heritage from highly multi-functional, reconfigurable robotic systems like the All-Terrain Hex-Limbed Extra-Terrestrial Explorer (ATHLETE), Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot (RASSOR), and Mars exploration rovers, we propose a flexible maintenance-optimized mobility platform concept with quick-connect/disconnect features for robotically swappable excavation implements. Dust tolerant torque transmission, power & data docking, thermal fluid connectors, and modular avionics and instrumentation will allow for autonomous swapping of tools, replacement of spares, and longterm maintenance of robotic excavators. The architecture includes modular tools for conventional excavate / scoop / haul / dump / process functions of a terrestrial mining operation on Earth, but also will have the capability to operate and robotically maintain itself without human intervention. The concepts described in this study will provide a suite of technologies, configurations, and operations ready for inclusion into a final flight-ready excavator system.
The Lenses Structure & Dynamics Survey: The internal structure and evolution of E/S0 galaxies and the determination of H_0 from time-delay systems

The Lenses Structure & Dynamics (LSD) Survey aims at studying the internal structure of luminous and dark matter - as well as their evolution - of field early-type (E/SO) galaxies to z~1. In particular, E/S0 lens galaxies are studied by combining gravitational lensing, photometric and kinematic data obtained with ground-based (VLA/Keck/VLT) and space-based telescopes (HST). Here, we report on preliminary results from the LSD Survey, in particular on (i) the constraints set on the luminous and dark-matter distributions in the inner several R_eff of E/S0 galaxies, (ii) the evolution of their stellar component and (iii) the constraints set on the value of H_0 from time-delay systems by combining lensing and kinematic data to break degeneracies in gravitational-lens models.
Information and Virtue in the Anthropocene

To reliably choose morally sound policies, whether as a society or as an individual, will typically require a deep and wide-ranging base of relevant knowledge. In this paper I consider the epistemi...
Field Theory of Matter

A speculative field theory of matter is developed. Simple computational methods are used in a preliminary survey of its consequences. The theory exploits the known properties of leptons by means of a principle of symmetry between electrical and nucleonic charge. There are fundamental fields with spins 0, \textonehalf{}, 1. The spinless field is neutral. Spin \textonehalf{} and 1 fields can carry both electrical and nucleonic charge. The multiplicity of any nonzero charge is 3. Explicit dynamical mechanisms for the breakdown of unitary symmetry and for the muon-electron mass difference are given. A more general view of lepton properties is proposed. Mass relations for baryon and meson multiplets are derived, together with approximate couplings among the multiplets. The weakness of $\ensuremath{\varphi}$ production in $\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{-}N$ collisions and the suppression of the $\ensuremath{\varphi}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\rho}+\ensuremath{\pi}$ decay is explained.
A novel larval diet interacts with nutritional stress to modify juvenile behaviors and glucocorticoid responses

Developmental plasticity can allow the exploitation of alternative diets. While such flexibility during early life is often adaptive, it can leave a legacy in later life that alters the overall health and fitness of an individual. Species of the spadefoot toad genus Spea are uniquely poised to address such carryover effects because their larvae can consume drastically different diets: their ancestral diet of detritus or a derived shrimp diet. Here, we use Speabombifrons to assess the effects of developmental plasticity in response to larval diet type and nutritional stress on juvenile behaviors and stress axis reactivity. We find that, in an open-field assay, juveniles fed shrimp as larvae have longer latencies to move, avoid prey items more often, and have poorer prey-capture abilities. While juveniles fed shrimp as larvae are more exploratory, this effect disappears if they also experienced a temporary nutritional stressor during early life. The larval shrimp diet additionally impairs juvenile jumping performance. Finally, larvae that were fed shrimp under normal nutritional conditions produce juveniles with higher overall glucocorticoid levels, and larvae that were fed shrimp and experienced a temporary nutritional stressor produce juveniles with higher stress-induced glucocorticoid levels. Thus, while it has been demonstrated that consuming the novel, alternative diet can be adaptive for larvae in nature, doing so has marked effects on juvenile phenotypes that may recalibrate an individual's overall fitness. Given that organisms often utilize diverse diets in nature, our study underscores the importance of considering how diet type interacts with early-life nutritional adversity to influence subsequent life stages.
Evaluation of Nurses’ Job Engagement as an Outcome of Experienced Compassion in the Workplace, Using the Lens of Affective Event Theory

This study examined an integrated model encompassing supervisor undermining, experienced compassion, state optimism, regulatory emotional self-efficacy, and job engagement using the affective event...
Analytical Methods for Risk Management: A Systems Engineering Perspective

Engineering Risk Management Introduction Engineering Risk Management Objectives Overview of Process and Practice New Perspectives on Engineering Systems Elements of Probability Theory Introduction Interpretations and Axioms Conditional Probability and Bayes' Rule Applications to Engineering Risk Management Elements of Decision Analysis Introduction The Value Function Risk and Utility Functions Applications to Engineering Risk Management Analytical Topics in Engineering Risk Management Introduction Risk Identification and Approaches Risk Analysis and Risk Prioritization Risk Management and Progress Monitoring Measuring Technical Performance Risk Risk Management for Engineering Enterprise Systems Appendix A: A Geometric Approach for Ranking Risks Appendix B: Success Factors in Engineering Risk Management Index References appear at the end of each chapter.
Timely loss recognition and termination of unprofitable projects

Abstract Ideally, firms should discontinue projects that become unprofitable. Managers, however, continue to operate such projects because of their limited employment horizons and empire-building motivations (Jensen, 1986; Ball, 2001). Prior studies suggest that timely loss recognition in accounting earnings enables lenders, shareholders, and boards of directors to identify unprofitable projects; thereby, enabling them to force managers to discontinue such projects before large value erosion occurs. However, this conjecture has not been tested empirically. Consistent with this notion, we find that timely loss recognition increases the likelihood of timely closures of unprofitable projects. Moreover, managers, by announcing late discontinuations of such projects, reveal their inability to select good projects and/or to contain losses, when projects turn unprofitable. Accordingly, thereafter, the fund providers and board of directors are likely to demand improved timeliness of loss recognition and stringent scrutiny of firms’ capital expenditure plans. Consistently, we find that firms that announce large discontinuation losses reduce capital expenditures and improve timeliness of loss recognition in subsequent years. Our study provides evidence that timely loss reporting affects “real” economic decisions and creates economic benefits.
From Nairobi to The Hague

The Commission of Inquiry into the Post-Election Violence (Waki Commission) placed the names of suspects into a sealed envelope which was handed to Kofi Annan. The Waki Commission recommended that a special tribunal be established to try the suspects and, should this not occur within the deadline specified, Annan was under instructions to deliver the envelope to the ICC Prosecutor. The government failed to establish a special tribunal, even after being granted an extension to the deadline, and so on 9 July 2009 Annan delivered the sealed envelope and six boxes of supporting materials to the Prosecutor. The Prosecutor opened the envelope, examined its contents and resealed it, before encouraging the government to try suspects locally and promising that there would be no impunity for the crimes that had been committed. Once again the government failed to uphold its commitment to establish a special tribunal, prompting the Prosecutor to use his proprio motu powers for the first time in the ICC’s history. This culminated in the naming of the Ocampo Six, which included leaders who would go on to become President and Vice President—Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto.
Chemical Oceanography and the Marine Carbon Cycle: Paleoceanography and paleoclimatology

We end Part 1 of this book with a study of past changes in the Earth's atmosphere, oceans and ice volume. Interpretation of past climatic conditions from chemical tracers and isotopes preserved in the geological record requires knowledge and intuition developed from the study of present-day oceanography. For this reason descriptions of how paleoceanographic tracers are used to unravel insights about past ocean circulation and biogeochemistry serve as a review of the geochemical perspectives presented in the first six chapters of this book. Present human activities create chemical sources to the environment that are, in some cases, comparable to those of the natural (pre-industrial) Earth. Since some of these anthropogenic additions may affect the natural order of the Earth's climate system, it is urgent to understand how the natural system functions mechanistically. For example, the effect of rapidly rising anthropogenic atmospheric CO 2 on the climate system of the Earth is a first-order question (see Chapter 11). Even though global models that incorporate physical and biological interactions among the atmosphere, ocean, terrestrial and ice “spheres” now allow scientists to recreate the Earth's system, reasons for even the most first-order observations of climate change during the past million years are still poorly understood. The waxing and waning of glacial ice with roughly a 100 ky cycle is likely triggered by variations in the amount of solar energy reaching the Earth's surface because of changes in the Earth's orbital motions around the sun.
Colorectal cancer screening among African American church members: A qualitative and quantitative study of patient-provider communication

A healthcare provider's recommendation to undergo screening has been shown to be one of the strongest predictors of completing a colorectal cancer (CRC) screening test. We sought to determine the relationship between the general quality of self-rated patient-provider communication and the completion of CRC screening. A formative study using qualitative data from focus groups and quantitative data from a cross-sectional survey of church members about the quality of their communication with their healthcare provider, their CRC risk knowledge, and whether they had completed CRC screening tests. Focus group participants were a convenience sample of African American church members. Participants for the survey were recruited by telephone from membership lists of 12 African American churches located in rural counties of North Carolina to participate in the WATCH (Wellness for African Americans Through Churches) Project. Focus Groups. Six focus groups (n = 45) were conducted prior to the baseline survey. Discussions focused on CRC knowledge, and perceived barriers/motivators to CRC screening. A theme that emerged during each groups' discussion about CRC screening was the quality of the participants' communication with their health care provider. Survey. Among the 397 participants over age 50, 31% reported CRC screening within the recommended guidelines. Participants who self-rated their communication as good were more likely to have been screened (36%) within the recommended guidelines than were participants with poor communication (17%) (OR = 2.8, 95% CI 1.2, 6.4; p = 0.013). Participants who had adequate CRC knowledge completed CRC screening at a higher rate than those with inadequate knowledge (p = 0.011). The percentage of participants with CRC screening in the recommended guidelines, stratified by communication and knowledge group were: 42% for good communication/adequate knowledge; 27% for good communication/inadequate knowledge; 29% for poor communication/adequate knowledge; and 5% for poor communication/inadequate knowledge. Participants who rated their patient-provider communication as good were more likely to have completed CRC screening tests than those reporting poor communication. Among participants reporting good communication, knowledge about colorectal cancer was also associated with test completion. Interventions to improve patient-provider communication may be important to increase low rates of CRC screening test completion among African Americans.
On the regularity of spectral densities of continuous-time completely linearly regular processes

This paper deals with the study of the relationship between the complete linear regularity of continuous-time weakly stationary processes and the smoothness of their spectral densities. It is shown that when the coefficient of complete linear regularity behaves like O(τ−(r+μ)) as τ→+∞, for some r∈N, μ∈(0,1], then the spectral density has at least r uniformly continuous, bounded, and integrable derivatives, with the rth derivative satisfying a Lipschitz continuity condition of order μ. Conversely, under certain smoothness assumptions on the spectral density, upper bounds on the rate of decay of the coefficient of complete linear regularity are obtained.
Evidence for an essential carboxyl group for yeast phosphoglycerate kinase. Reaction with Woodward's reagent K.

Abstract An alternative method of purifying 3-phosphoglycerate kinase (EC 2.7.2.3) from yeast is described which employs step-induced pH-gradient elution from phosphocellulose and electrofocusing. The purified enzyme has a specific activity of 1200 to 1400 units per mg when corrected to saturating conditions and 30°. Reaction of this enzyme with Woodward's reagent K. (N-ethyl-5-phenylisoxazolium-3'-sulfonate) leads to rapid inhibition; MgATP affords protection against inactivation. Inhibition obeys pseudo-first order kinetics and there is an enzyme inhibitor complex formed prior to covalent modification. Although up to 5 moles of carboxyl per mole of phosphoglycerate kinase can be modified by Woodward's reagent K, it appears that only a single carboxyl is essential for the enzyme's action. The essential carboxyl appears to be more reactive than the nonessential but modifiable carboxyls. Sedimentation velocity and optical rotatory dispersion studies indicate that there has been no major conformational change concomitant with modification. Possible mechanistic roles for the essential carboxyl are discussed.
Le suicide comme meurtre d’une identité

Cet article relie la signification du suicide, telle qu’elle se donne a penser a travers des cas concrets, dans le cadre d’une enquete qualitative, a celle que revele la statistique globale. L’auteur tente de comprendre comment des centaines de suicides accomplis separement par des personnes qui ne se connaissent pas finissent par aboutir a une physionomie sociale si reconnaissable, s’apparentant a une signature collective. Il propose d’apprehender le suicide comme meurtre d’une identite. Cette notion est etayee sur la base de considerations theoriques et epistemologiques pour etre ensuite illustree a partir du materiau rassemble dans le travail de terrain. Il ressort des resultats preliminaires qui sont presentes que le suicide met en actes des passions ou s’expriment, explicitement, des conduites pathologiques dont on peut distinguer deux types : une identite masculine pathologique et une haine de soi qui revele l’anomie potentielle a une adolescence sans terminaison. En conclusion, l’auteur remonte jusqu’aux causes sociales que revelent ces conduites.
Real-Time Data Quality Monitoring System for Data Cleansing

To assist business intelligence companies dealing with data preparation problems, different approaches have been developed to handle the dirty data. However, these data cleansing approaches do not have real-time monitoring capabilities. Therefore, business intelligence companies and their clients are not able to predict the final outcome before running all business process. This yields an extra cost for the company if the data are highly corrupted. Therefore, to reduce cost for these types of businesses, the authors design a framework that monitors the quality attributes during the data cleansing process. Moreover, the system provides feedback to the user and allows the user to restructure the workflow based on quality attributes. The main concept of the framework is based on client-server architecture that uses multithreading to allow real-time monitoring of the process. A child thread is dedicated to run and another is dedicated to monitor the processes and give feedback to the user. The real-time monitoring system not only displays the cleansing process done on the data set, but also estimates the risk propagation probabilities in the data cleansing process. De-duplication elimination, address normalization, spelling correction for personal names, and non-ASCII character removal techniques are employed.
Soft fails in microelectronic circuits due to proton-induced nuclear reactions in material surrounding the SEU-sensitive volume

Abstract Charge collection in silicon surface harrier detectors resulting from proton-induced nuclear reactions have been measured for a number of incident proton energies with and without various surrounding materials. The results are in agreement with the predictions of the CUPID simulation codes over the range of incident proton energies from 37 to 154 MeV. Proton spallation simulations which ignore the contribution from reactions in the surround can seriously underestimate the SEU rates.