Search

The winner of the 2020 TPS Best Paper Award has been selected (please refer to our TPS home page for details about the award at https://ieee-npss.org/publications/transactions-on-plasma-science/). This year is the second year that the award is being given, and I am pleased to announce that Prof. Chandrashekhar Joshi, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA, is the winner for his article “Laser-driven plasma accelerators operating in the self- guided, blowout regime.” This article appeared in IEEE TPS, vol. 45, pp. 3134–3146, in December 2017. The award plaque, certificate, and cheque will be presented to Prof. Joshi at an upcoming International Conference on Plasma Science in South Lake Tahoe, CA, USA, in June 2021. This is an open-access article and is freely available to our readers. Congratulations to Prof. Chan Joshi on this accomplishment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Missing data recovery is an important and yet challenging problem in imaging and data science. Successful models often adopt certain carefully chosen regularization. Recently, the low dimensional manifold model (LDMM) was introduced by [S. Osher, Z. Shi, and W. Zhu, Low Dimensional Manifold Model for Image Processing, Technical report, cam report 16-04, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 2016] and shown to be effective in image inpainting. The authors of [Low Dimensional Manifold Model for Image Processing, Technical report, cam report 16-04, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 2016] observed that enforcing low dimensionality on the image patch manifold serves as a good image regularizer. In this paper, we observe that having only the low dimensional manifold regularization is not enough sometimes, and we need smoothness as well. For that, we introduce a new regularization by combining the low dimensional manifold regularization with a higher order CU rvature RE gularization, which we call new regularization CURE for short. The key step of CURE is to solve a biharmonic equation on a manifold. We further introduce a weighted version of CURE, called WeCURE, in a similar manner as the weighted nonlocal Laplacian (WNLL) method [Z. Shi, S. Osher, and W. Zhu, Weighted nonlocal Laplacian on interpolation from sparse data, J. Sci. Comput., 73 (2017), pp. 1164-1177]. Numerical experiments for image inpainting and semisupervised learning show that the proposed CURE and WeCURE significantly outperform LDMM and WNLL, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about several papers discussed at a symposium cosponsored by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Law Review and the Williams Institute is presented. Topics include sexuality and gender laws, U.S. Supreme Court's willingness to ignore established equal protection principles on sexualities, and the theoretical dimensions of the conflict between antinormalization and antisubordination principles. Speakers include Scott Cummings, Doug NeJaime, and Sonia Katyal.

The author presents commentary on his earlier article, "Jobshop-Like Queueing Systems," published in the November 1963 issue of the periodical "Management Science." He notes that his interest in jobshop manufacturing provided the subject matter of the article, which stemmed from his work with the Management Science Research Project at the University of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California. The author discusses his position on doctorial committees headed by Professor Leonard Kleinrock, whose work was instrumental in the development of the Internet.

As new antenna designs require higher frequencies and smaller sizes, traditional large-scale antenna measurement systems become ill-suited for such measurements. External mixing, room-sized chambers, and expensive test equipment add large costs and burdens to antenna measurement systems. A smaller and more cost-effective system is presented in this paper. Using the bipolar planar scanning technique developed at UCLA, a portable millimeter-wave antenna measurement system has recently been constructed. The system was designed to fit on the end of a standard optical table, and enjoys the space- saving and accuracy inherent to the bipolar planar configuration. Simple construction of the chamber allows for relatively easy assembly and disassembly, and allows movement of the system from one table to another, if needed. Antennas of diameters up to 24 in can be accommodated, and scan planes of up to a diameter of 60 in can be measured. Millimeter-wave frequencies from around 30 GHz to 67 GHz can be measured, with potential extension to higher frequencies. Planar near- field-to-far-field techniques are used to construct the antenna's far-field patterns from the measured near field. In particular, the post processing follows the OSI/FFT method for pattern reconstruction and diagnostics. The design of the scanner configuration allows the incorporation of the phase-retrieval techniques developed for the bipolar configuration. These phase- less measurements allow the use of scalar millimeter-wave test equipment, with much lower cost than comparable vector test equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper concerns the divisibility of comprehension subskills measured in L2 listening and reading tests. Motivated by the administration of the new Web-based English as a Second Language Placement Exam (WB-ESLPE) at UCLA, this study addresses the following research questions: first, to what extent do the WB-ESLPE listening and reading items measure different comprehension subskills? Second, to what extent can L2 listening and reading be considered similar or different, with regard to the divisibility of comprehension subskills? Employing a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach, the factor structures of 110 test takers' scores on the WB-ESLPE listening and reading items were examined with regard to three types of subskills, that is, 'understanding main/topical ideas', 'understanding supporting/specific details', and 'making inferences'. The results of the analyses indicated that the WB-ESLPE listening and reading items measure two or three kinds of subskills, and that while L2 listening and reading might share a common comprehension process, they may be distinct in the decoding processes involved due to the difference in mode of presentation. It is suggested that this divisibility of subskills in L2 comprehension tests might depend on the test takers' L2 proficiency as well as on the task characteristics of the test administered to them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims In order to increase the number of investigative teams and sites conducting research on pharmacological treatments for methamphetamine use disorders, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) established an infrastructure of clinical sites in areas where methamphetamine addiction is prevalent. This multi-site infrastructure would serve to run multiple Phases II and III protocols effectively and expeditiously. Methods NIDA collaborated with investigators from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) to set up the Methamphetamine Clinical Trials Group (MCTG). This paper describes the development process, as well as data from a test trial to assess the capability of research-naive sites to recruit research participants and conduct study procedures according to research protocol. Subsequent trials are also described. Results A total of 151 candidates signed consent; 65 individuals were enrolled and 35 (53.8%) completed the 12 weeks' behavioral trial. Self-reported substance use report (SUR) showed comparable use of methamphetamine across sites with the individual site means ranging from 59% (site 5) to 80% (site 3). Drug use as measured by urinalysis was greatly reduced at week 13 compared to the baseline measure; the average rate of methamphetamine-free urine samples across all participants in sites at week 13 was 53%. The highest percentage of methamphetamine-free samples was 85% at site 5; the lowest was at site 1 (40%). Addiction severity index (ASI) composite scores at baseline and protocol completion for all participants demonstrated improvement in all categories over time, except for the medical composite score. The largest composite score reduction in baseline-protocol completion was in the drug domain (0.23 versus 0.15). The changes in the ASI scores from baseline to week 13 were consistent across all five sites. Conclusions Outcomes of the behavioral trial indicated that the MCTG recruited well; collected study data accurately and reliably; and created a vehicle that can assess promising pharmacotherapies for methamphetamine addiction treatment medications. The MCTG strategy appears to be a feasible approach to increase NIDA's capacity to conduct clinical trials to evaluate potential pharmacotherapies for methamphetamine addiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents the first results obtained in a facility constructed at the University of California, Los Angeles to study the interaction of ceramic breeder pebble beds with structural materials in conditions relevant to fusion energy power plant blanket operations. The experiments study the thermo-mechanical performance of lithium meta-titanate oxide (Li2TiO3) pebbles and silicon carbide clad constrained by a low thermal expansion alloy in vacuum and He atmosphere. The results show that large deformations due to induced thermal stresses are present during the first heat cycle but afterward are accommodated by a combination of pebble re-arrangement within the bed and thermally induced creep deformation. Initial results of a numerical simulation of the experiments using a finite element code that includes creep deformation is also presented. Planned operation of the UCLA thermo-mechanics test facility is summarized to conclude the paper. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Program theory plays a prominent role in many evaluations, not only in theory-driven evaluations. This paper presents a case study of the process of developing and refining a program’s theory within a user-oriented evaluation. In user-oriented (or utilization-focused) evaluations, primary users can play a role in defining their own program theory. This is different, however, from the typical process by which a program theory is developed when using theory-driven evaluation framework. This case study concerns a university’s academic outreach program with three local school districts. The program’s objective is to increase the number of University of California eligible and specifically University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) admissible students from targeted local public schools. The authors helped develop and refine outreach staff’s program theory. The evaluation procedures are described and results of the theory building process presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper describes a successful cross-training and reference librarian exchange experience involving two librarians at UCLA, one based at the Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library and the other based at the College Library, which primarily serves undergraduates. The experience has increased the reference skills and expertise of both librarians by introducing them to new sets of reference tools and databases, and has broadened their network of colleagues within the UCLA Library system. The participating libraries have also benefited from the exchange, and the program is expanding to include other UCLA libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Information about a paper on Student Personnel Problems read at the meeting of the Western Conference of the Deans of Women, at the University of California, at Los Angeles, on April 14-17, 1926 is presented. The paper was written by academician Shepherd Ivory Franz of the University of California at Los Angeles.

The article focuses on research works on organization, conducted at the University of California, Los Angeles, California. Economist Ichak Adizes will be reporting and analyzing the results in organizations in which he has acted as, or has trained others to be, agents of change in applying his methodology. Economist Kenneth W. Thomas is guest-editing a special issue of the California Management Review whose purpose is to re-examine the collaborative ethic prevalent in the field of organization behavior. Four articles present different perspectives on organization conflict and the functionality/dysfunctionality of collaboration. The papers highlight the importance of recognizing the costs and infeasibility of collaboration in many situations, the value of stimulating optimal levels of conflict in organizations, the role of power tactics and identification of different interest groups in organizations that stand to gain or lose differentially with increase in collaboration. Thomas is also developing a cost-benefit model of organizational conflict. A paper examining the implicit assumptions about the functionality/dysfunctionality of conflict that have been predominant in the literature on organization conflict is in preparation.

This article provides information on the Center for Quality of Working Life established within the Institute of Industrial Relations at the University of California in Los Angeles. The center aims to enhance the quality of life at the workplace and seeks collaborative relations with private and non-private institutions including professionals. The center's action-research approach is geared towards the development of better techniques for investigating the expectation of workers bring to the job and in distinguishing between economic and psychological work satisfaction.

The article presents the author's views on Antony John Kunnan's research paper on Differential Item Functioning (DIF) in native language and gender groups in an ESL placement test. While the author admires the intention behind Kunnan's paper, he is also of the view that the fact that the statistical and subjective procedures for identifying DIF cannot be relied upon dilutes the significance of his conclusions. The author does not see anything inherently wrong with Kunnan's method of identifying biased items, which relies on selecting items which lie outside the 95% confidence interval, since all statistical tests of significance and hypothesis tests involve comparing data in order to known distributions and deducing the likelihood of those data occurring by chance alone. However, in the social sciences, if such results occurred by chance no more than 1 time out of 20, the results are considered to be significant. While no one can oppose eliminating test items which display DIF, Kunnan cannot be justified in drawing the conclusions about the sources of DIF in the Los Angeles, California-based University of California's ESL placement examination.

Background: Large medical centers in urban areas, like Los Angeles, care for a diverse patient population and offer the potential to study the interplay between genetic ancestry and social determinants of health. Here, we explore the implications of genetic ancestry within the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) ATLAS Community Health Initiative—an ancestrally diverse biobank of genomic data linked with de-identified electronic health records (EHRs) of UCLA Health patients (N=36,736). Methods: We quantify the extensive continental and subcontinental genetic diversity within the ATLAS data through principal component analysis, identity-by-descent, and genetic admixture. We assess the relationship between genetically inferred ancestry (GIA) and >1500 EHR-derived phenotypes (phecodes). Finally, we demonstrate the utility of genetic data linked with EHR to perform ancestry-specific and multi-ancestry genome and phenome-wide scans across a broad set of disease phenotypes. Results: We identify 5 continental-scale GIA clusters including European American (EA), African American (AA), Hispanic Latino American (HL), South Asian American (SAA) and East Asian American (EAA) individuals and 7 subcontinental GIA clusters within the EAA GIA corresponding to Chinese American, Vietnamese American, and Japanese American individuals. Although we broadly find that self-identified race/ethnicity (SIRE) is highly correlated with GIA, we still observe marked differences between the two, emphasizing that the populations defined by these two criteria are not analogous. We find a total of 259 significant associations between continental GIA and phecodes even after accounting for individuals' SIRE, demonstrating that for some phenotypes, GIA provides information not already captured by SIRE. GWAS identifies significant associations for liver disease in the 22q13.31 locus across the HL and EAA GIA groups (HL p-value=2.32×10−16, EAA p-value=6.73×10−11). A subsequent PheWAS at the top SNP reveals significant associations with neurologic and neoplastic phenotypes specifically within the HL GIA group. Conclusions: Overall, our results explore the interplay between SIRE and GIA within a disease context and underscore the utility of studying the genomes of diverse individuals through biobank-scale genotyping linked with EHR-based phenotyping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Codes of ethics around the globe exhort archivists to neutrality so that they and their repositories will be trusted by records creators, the general public, and posterity to be impartial in their actions. However, archival neutrality is increasingly viewed as a controversial stance for a profession that is situated in the midst of the politics of memory. Archival educators have been prominent among those calling for the profession to address more directly the cultural and ethical dimensions of the role played by archives and records in society. This paper contemplates how archival neutrality and social justice concerns can surface within the context of archival education. Drawing upon experiences of the Department of Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), it suggests pedagogical approaches for raising and addressing ethics and diversity issues within a social justice framework, and for encouraging students, as future practitioners and scholars, to engage critically, reflexively, and meaningfully with these issues in ways that support the public trust in archives and the archival profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A biography of George Barlow, a scientist recognized for his contributions to the field of ethology, is presented. Barlow was born in Long Beach, California in 1929. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1951. Barlow is an athletic person and excels in football, avid surfing and waterpolo. He died on July 14, 2007. His contributions to ethology are highlighted.

Reports on the symposium on atmospheric general circulation modeling held at the University of California, Los Angeles. Guest of honor; Participants; Papers presented.

Focuses on the Electric Tokamak (ET), which is under construction at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA). Design of the ET to rotate poloidally via a radial current induced by fast wave; Bifurcation of the plasma into a global high confinement mode; Use of a gyrokinetic code; Effects on ion temperature gradient turbulence.

Describes the University of California's (UCLA) interdisciplinary, research and training program focusing on urban poverty and social welfare policy in the United States. Structure and organization of the program; Assessment of students' reactions and experiences; Significant role of major research universities in the development of social intervention and mitigation strategies; Future plans of the program.

In this article the author reflects on scientific blogging as a means of sharing scientific information. It mentions that scientific blogging is a mode of notoriety and is not accepted as a respectable activity. It discusses several blogging mathematicians including "What's New," by Terence Tao, a mathematician at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Tim Gowers and Alain Connes. Additionally, it notes two historical changes occurred during the second half of the seventeenth century.

The article presents editorial notes. It states that readers wishing to discuss or comment upon any of the articles in various issues of the Journal of Social Issues may submit their reactions or criticisms to the editor, Bertram H. Raven, Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles. Criticisms or observations of general interest will be published in a Comments and Rejoinders section of the journal. The Selected Articles Issue will receive approximately 25% of the yearly page total of the Journal of Social issues and will be devoted to individual articles consistent with the journal's policy.

Yahya Rahmat-Samii has been given the 2010 Lockheed Martin Excellence in Teaching Award from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. The Lockheed Martin Excellence in Teaching Award was established at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science to recognize the outstanding teaching achievements by an individual in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. The 20 10 Award was presented to Prof. Rahmat-Samii at an award ceremony held November 5, 2010, at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills, California (Figure I). The award carried the citation, “In recognition of your commitment and demonstration of excellence in teaching.” [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article provides information on the Ethnomusicology Archive at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA). The Archive was established by Mantle Hood in 1960. It holds over 150,000 audiovisual recordings that includes art music from Asia, Africa, Australia and the Pacific Islands. An interview with Anthony Seeger, Distinguished Professor of Ethnomusicology and director of the Archive, about UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive is presented.

The Dawn science operations team has designed the Vesta mission within the constraints of a low-cost Discovery mission, and will apply the same methodology to the Ceres mission. The design employs proactive mapping mission strategies and tactics such as functional redundancy, adaptability to trajectory uncertainties, and easy sequence updates to deliver reliable and robust sequences. Planning tools include the Science Opportunity Analyzer and other multi-mission tools, and the Science time-ordered listings. Science operations are conducted jointly by the Science Operations Support Team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the Dawn Science Center at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The UCLA Dawn Science Center has primary responsibility for data archiving while the JPL team has primary responsibility for spacecraft and instrument operations. Constraints and uncertainties in the planning and sequencing environment are described, and then details of the science plan are presented for each mission sub-phase. The plans indicate that Dawn has a high probability of meeting its science objectives and requirements within the imposed constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An interview with Lyle F. Bachman, professor of the Department of Applied Linguistics at University of California, Los Angeles, is presented. When asked about the areas of linguistics he is interested in, he mentions his love of philosophy and his study of German language at Methodist College in Iowa. He also states how he used his skills as a member of the Peace Corps during his English teaching in the Philippines. Bachman states his insights on language teaching in China.

The Atlantic Niño or Atlantic Equatorial Mode (EM) is the dominant coupled variability phenomenon in the tropical Atlantic basin during boreal summer. From the 1970s, the mode has changed, evolving in time from east to west and without persisting until the following winter. In a previous observational work, the authors have studied the atmospheric response to the EM during the 1979--2005 period, proposing three main issues along the decaying phase of this mode: 1) the continuous confinement of the anomalous deep convection over northeastern Brazil following the thermal-forcing decay; 2) an increasing dipole-like precipitation anomaly with dry conditions in the Florida--Gulf of Mexico region; and 3) the excitation of Rossby waves forced by the remaining upper-tropospheric divergence that are trapped into the subtropical jet but do not show a robust impact on the European sector. In this work, a 10-member ensemble simulation for the recent EM with the University of California, Los Angeles AGCM model has been analyzed for assessing the evolution of the atmospheric response to the summer Atlantic Niño decay. Results from the sensitivity experiment support that the former and the latter findings can be interpreted in terms of the Atlantic thermal forcing; while the negative rainfall anomalies in the western subtropical basin require an external forcing outside the tropical Atlantic. Prior studies point at the peaking Pacific El Niño as a potential player. An important conclusion of this work is that the seasonal atmospheric response to the Atlantic Niño decaying phase is mainly determined by the climatological jet stream''s position and intensity. In this way, this response shows an arching pattern over the North Atlantic region during summer--autumn and a zonally oriented wave train during autumn--winter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eiko & Koma harnessed their training in butoh and Neue Tanz to develop their own style, Delicious Movement, which employs images of nature and everyday life. Eiko & Koma's workshops are built upon image prompts that are meant to generate movement. Guided by Eiko & Koma's 'Delicious Movement Workshop Manifesto' and drawing from my participation in and written documentation of an unprecedented 10-week course taught by the choreographers at the University of California, Los Angeles in autumn 2006, I outline this unique image based training method, provide examples of specific exercises, and place these in the context of particular workshops. Finally, I suggest ways that the training is manifested on stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Hispanic Higher Education is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

OBJECTIVE To compare the prognostic accuracy of the two most used integrated staging systems to predict the outcome of patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC). PATIENTS AND METHODS We retrospectively evaluated the clinical and pathological data of 388 patients surgically treated for clear cell RCC between 1986 and 2000. The pathological slides of all specimens were reviewed by a pathologist unaware of patient outcome. All patients were classified according to the ‘Stage, Size, Grade and Necrosis’ (SSIGN) score and University of California Los Angeles Integrated Staging System (UISS) model, and the predictive accuracy of the two models was evaluated using receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves. RESULTS The median follow-up was 56 months; the 10-year cancer-specific survival (CSS) probabilities according to the SSIGN score were 96% in the ‘0–2’ category, 78% in the ‘3–4’, 43% in the ‘5–6’, 25.8% in the ‘7–9’ and 0% in the ‘≥10’ group ( P < 0.001). According to the UISS, in nonmetastatic patients the 10-year CSS probabilities were 100% in low, 73% in intermediate and 62% in high-risk groups; in metastatic patients the respective CSS probabilities were 37%, 33% and 12.5% ( P < 0.001). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.870 for the SSIGN score and 0.832 for the UISS. Including only nonmetastatic patients in the analysis, the AUC was 0.830 for the SSIGN score and 0.760 for the UISS model. CONCLUSION Our study shows for the first time that the SSIGN score offers a better stratification of clear cell RCC than the UISS model. These data should be considered in the design of future randomized controlled trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A master narrative exists that operates to preclude Mexican migrant students from college access. By ethnographically examining the experiences of Mexican migrant students in the UCLA Migrant Student Leadership Institute, I describe counterstories that show how Mexican migrant students disrupt the assumptions of the master narrative. Findings suggest that attending to the social organization of learning in college outreach programmes can afford transformative learning opportunities that fracture the master narrative, and provide for new potentialities to emerge in Mexican migrant students' struggles for educational opportunity. The UCLA Migrant Student Leadership Institute is used as an exemplary case showing how pedagogical interventions, such as college outreach programmes, can mediate college access for underrepresented students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 3-part comprehensive synthesis of the early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) for young children with autism based on the University of California at Los Angeles Young Autism Project method (Lovaas in Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55, 3–9, 1987) is presented. The three components of the synthesis were: (a) descriptive analyses, (b) effect size analyses, and (c) a meta-analysis. The findings suggest EIBI is an effective treatment, on average, for children with autism. The conditions under which this finding applies and the limitations and cautions that must be taken when interpreting the results are discussed within the contextual findings of the moderator analyses conducted in the meta-analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]