cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Peasant Risk Aversion and Allocative Behavior: A Quadratic Programming Experiment

A quadratic risk programming model is used to examine the impact of yield uncertainty on peasant allocation of land among crops and use of hired factor services. The assumption of an exponential utility of income function permits sample estimation of the extent of risk aversion and interpretation of the dual solutions as shadow prices. Historical survey data on a Chinese village are used to show that optimization qualified by risk aversion proves superior to risk neutrality or credit constraints in explaining peasant allocative behavior.
Collaboration Strategies to Facilitate Successful Transition of Students with Disabilities in a Changing Higher Education Environment.

Examples from the University of Connecticut demonstrate how outreach and services may require collaboration with campus and off-campus resources, particularly for students with disabilities transitioning from high school.
Inhibition of murine macrophage protein kinase C activity by nonviable Histoplasma capsulatum.

Abstract Ingestion of Histoplasma capsulatum yeast cells inhibits the oxidative burst response of murine macrophages (M phi's). Since protein kinase C (PKC) is believed to be an integral part of the signal transduction pathway involved in the production of reactive oxygen intermediates, we investigated the relationship between PKC activity and oxidative burst inhibition in H. capsulatum-containing murine peritoneal M phi's. An inhibitory effect on both basal and phorbol myristate acetate-mobilized membrane PKC activities was observed in M phi's which had ingested H. capsulatum but not latex spheres. These results suggest that one way in which H. capsulatum may disrupt the oxidative burst is through a PCK-dependent mechanism.
Implementing an OpenFlow switch on the NetFPGA platform

We describe the implementation of an OpenFlow Switch on the NetFPGA platform. OpenFlow is a way to deploy experimental or new protocols in networks that carry production traffic. An OpenFlow network consists of simple flow-based switches in the datapath, with a remote controller to manage several switches. In practice, OpenFlow is most often added as a feature to an existing Ethernet switch, IPv4 router or wireless access point. An OpenFlow-enabled device has an internal flow-table and a standardized interface to add and remove flow entries remotely.Our implementation of OpenFlow on the NetFPGA is one of several reference implementations we have implemented on different platforms. Our simple OpenFlow implementation is capable of running at line-rate and handling all the traffic that is going through the Stanford Electrical Engineering and Computer Science building. We compare our implementation's complexity to a basic IPv4 router implementation and a basic Ethernet learning switch implementation. We describe the OpenFlow deployment into the Stanford campus and the Internet2 backbone.
Online Harassment in Context: Trends From Three Youth Internet Safety Surveys (2000, 2005, 2010)

Objective: The current study examines an increase in youth online harassment over the last decade in order to better explore the implications of the trend for prevention initiatives. Method: The Youth Internet Safety Surveys (YISSs) involved 3 crosssectional, nationally representative telephone surveys of 4,561 youth Internet users, ages 10 to 17, in 2000 (n 1,501), 2005 (n 1,500), and 2010 (n 1,560). Results: The increase in youth online harassment from 6% in 2000 to 11% in 2010 was driven primarily by a rise in indirect harassment—someone posting or sending comments to others about them online. Girls made up an increasing proportion of victims: 69% of victims were girls in 2010 compared with 48% in 2000. Furthermore, in comparison with earlier in the decade, harassment incidents in 2010 were more likely to come from a school friend or acquaintance and occur on a social networking site. Victims reported disclosing harassment incidents to school staff at greater rates in 2010 than in 2005 or 2000. Conclusions: The increase in online harassment can likely be attributed to changes in how youth are using the Internet, especially a disproportional increase in online communication with friends by girls, providing more opportunity for offline peer conflicts to expand to this environment. School-based prevention programs aimed at improving peer relationships and reducing bullying are recommended to reduce online harassment.
Evaluating alternatives for integrating distributed DC generation with AC power systems

Distributed generation generally means on site electric power generation devices such as photovoltaics or fuel cells that are installed at the customer end of the electric power system. One complication is that the photovoltaic panel and the fuel cell generate direct current (DC) while the electric power system and thus existing end use equipment has been designed for alternating current (AC). This paper suggests a method which converts all AC power from the electric utility to DC with rectifiers at the distribution substation or at the point of building entry and then interfaces the DC distributed generation from the photovoltaics or fuel cells directly with the rectified DC from the electric power system. Some of the equipment in the house such as light bulbs and electric heating in stoves and clothes dryers can operate indifferently on DC. Equipment such as induction motors in refrigerators and air conditioners can operate from small dedicated nonsynchronous chord mounted DC to AC inverters until replaced with DC compatible equipment. Electronics such as televisions and computers can also operate from chord mounted DC to AC inverters until replaced by DC compatible equipment. Ultimately, the entire electric utility system should be converted from a transformer based multiple voltage AC system to a more efficient solid state converter based multiple voltage DC system. This type of system would not only be fundamentally more efficient. It would also be directly compatible with distributed DC generation.
Shrinking tropical forests, human agents of change, and conservation policy.

: Human agents of landscape transformation in the tropics affect forests differently as the forests decline in size. Five agents of change—road builders, corporate concession holders, community forest managers, park advocates, and urban consumers—have different effects on large forests in remote tropical regions than they do on remnant forests in settled agricultural regions. Because forests vary so much in size across tropical regions, these differences in the effects of agents on forests have important implications for regional conservation efforts. To make these implications explicit, I compared the effects of the five agents in regions with large forests with their effects in regions with small forests. The comparisons indicated that, as forests declined in size, new roads no longer destroyed forests, corporate loggers left the forests, community forest managers became more effective, parks became less feasible as a means of conservation, and urban consumers initiated tree planting. My results suggest that awareness about the changing effects of humans on landscapes with shrinking forests can serve as a useful tool in formulating regionally appropriate policies for conserving tropical forests. Resumen: Los agentes humanos de transformacion del paisaje en los tropicos afectan a los bosques de manera diferente a medida que los bosques declinan en extension. Cinco agentes de cambio—constructores de caminos, titulares de concesiones empresariales, gestores de bosques comunitarios, defensores de parques y consumidores urbanos—tienen efectos sobre bosques extensos en regiones tropicales remotas diferentes a los que tienen en remanentes de bosques en regiones con asentamientos agricolas. Debido a que los bosques varian mucho en extension en las regiones tropicales, estas diferencias en los efectos tienen implicaciones importantes para los esfuerzos regionales de conservacion. Para que estas implicaciones fueran explicitas, compare los efectos de los cinco agentes en regiones con bosques extensos con regiones con bosques mas pequenos. Las comparaciones indicaron que, a medida que declinan la extension de los bosques, los caminos nuevos ya no destruian bosques, los madereros empresariales abandonaron los bosques, los gestores de bosques comunitarios se volvieron mas eficientes, los parques fueron menos viables como medios de conservacion, y los consumidores urbanos comenzaron a sembrar arboles. Mis resultados sugieren que el conocimiento acerca de los efectos cambiantes de los humanos sobre los paisajes con reduccion de bosques puede ser una herramienta util en la formulacion de politicas regionales apropiadas para la conservacion de bosques tropicales.
Liaisons dangereuses? General anaesthetics and long-term toxicity in the CNS.

Summary We do not know how general anaesthetics cause their desired effects. Contrary to what has been thought until relatively recently, the clinical state of anaesthesia consists of multiple components that are mediated via interaction of the anaesthetic drugs with different targets on the molecular, the cellular, the network and the structural–anatomical levels. The mechanisms by which some of these drugs induce the different components of ‘anaesthesia’ may be rather specific: discrete mutations of single amino acids in specific proteins profoundly affect the ability of certain anaesthetics to achieve specific endpoints. Despite this potential specificity, inhalational anaesthetics are present in the body at very high concentrations during surgical anaesthesia. Due to their lipid solubility, general anaesthetics dissolve in every membrane, penetrate into organelles and interact with numerous cellular structures in multiple ways. A priori , it is therefore not unreasonable to assume that these drugs have the potential to cause insidious changes in the body other than those acute and readily apparent ones that we routinely monitor for. Some changes may wane within a short time after removal of the drug (e.g. the suppression of immune cell function). Others may persist after complete removal of the drug and even become self-propagating (e.g. spread of malignant cells, the β-oligomerization of proteins), still others may be irreversible (e.g. the induction of apoptosis in the central nervous system) but of unclear significance. This article will focus on evidence for anaesthetic toxicity in the central nervous system, which appears to be susceptible to anaesthetic neurotoxicity primarily at the extremes of ages but via different pathways: in the neonate, during the period of most intense synaptogenesis, anaesthetics can induce excessive apoptosis; in the aging brain subtle cognitive dysfunction can persist long after clearance of the drug and processes resembling neurodegenerative disorders may be accelerated. At all ages, anaesthetics affect gene expression regulating protein synthesis in poorly understood ways. While it seems reasonable to assume that the vast majority of our patients completely restore homeostasis after general anaesthesia, exposure to these drugs probably has more profound and longer-lasting effects on the brain than heretofore imagined.
Examining the Effects of Hypothetical Modifications in Permitting Procedures and River Conditions on Whitewater Boating Behavior

tn this study we combine a travel cost modeling approach with the surveyed stated preferences of Whitewater boaters at the Chattooga River to examine the possible effects of six hypothetical modifications in river use permitting process or changes in river conditions on intended future trip behavior of respondents. To varying degrees, all of the hypothetical modifications in river use permitting (procedures and pricing) and changes in river conditions would lead selfguided (kayaking) visitors to significantly reduce the number of river trips they planned to take in the future, while four of the six resulted in significant reductions for guided (rafting) visitors. Results suggest that the travel cost modeling approach, supplemented with users' trip responses to hypothetical scenarios, can be an appropriate way to predict the effects of possible management alternatives. While the estimation method requires a somewhat complicated cross-sectional statistical process, the software is readily available and the information provided can be quite helpful for policy makers and managers. Our consumer surplus estimates are consistent with previous boating studies at $745 per guided rafting trip per party ($t49 per person) and $444 per self-guided kayaking trip per party ($113 per person)
Hs3st3-Modified Heparan Sulfate Controls KIT+ Progenitor Expansion by Regulating 3-O-Sulfotransferases

Summary The exquisite control of growth factor function by heparan sulfate (HS) is dictated by tremendous structural heterogeneity of sulfated modifications. How specific HS structures control growth factor-dependent progenitor expansion during organogenesis is unknown. We isolated KIT+ progenitors from fetal salivary glands during a stage of rapid progenitor expansion and profiled HS biosynthetic enzyme expression. Enzymes generating a specific type of 3- O -sulfated-HS (3- O -HS) are enriched, and fibroblast growth factor 10 (FGF10)/FGF receptor 2b (FGFR2b) signaling directly regulates their expression. Bioengineered 3- O -HS binds FGFR2b and stabilizes FGF10/FGFR2b complexes in a receptor- and growth factor-specific manner. Rapid autocrine feedback increases 3- O -HS, KIT, and progenitor expansion. Knockdown of multiple Hs3st isoforms limits fetal progenitor expansion but is rescued with bioengineered 3- O -HS, which also increases adult progenitor expansion. Altering specific 3- O -sulfated epitopes provides a mechanism to rapidly respond to FGFR2b signaling and control progenitor expansion. 3- O -HS may expand KIT+ progenitors in vitro for regenerative therapy.
Towards facilitating the use of a pan-tilt camera on a mobile robot

Pan-tilt cameras are useful for mobile robots because they allow an operator to view the environment around the robot without moving the robot. However, pan-tilt cameras can lead to operator confusion and error when the camera is off-center and the operator is navigating the robot. To facilitate the use of a pan-tilt camera, we use a 3D augmented virtuality display to render the video stream at an angle that corresponds to the orientation of the real camera. This provides an intuitive representation of the pan and tilt angles of the camera as they relate to the orientation of the robot. We validate using the 3D display to represent a pan-tilt camera's orientation through a user study in simulated environments.
Research issues for new applications of power modulators

Certain fundamental issues are unresolved in the development of components for the power modulators that are required for new pulsed power supply applications. Several of these applications are discussed, and required research and development is reviewed. An example in GaAs is presented. It is argued that underlying research supporting the development of high voltage and high repetition rate components, such as switches and capacitors, is needed.
Cooperative Estimation Using Mobile Sensor Nodes in the Presence of Communication Loss

Cooperative estimation using multiple mobile sensor nodes communicating over a lossy network is considered. A new method, termed predicted information, is developed from a separable formulation of the extended information filter. Two variations of the predicted information method are presented, which trade between accuracy and computational complexity. The first variation estimates the information matrix updates directly from estimates of the cooperating sensor node states. The second variation uses a piecewise constant approximation to predict the informationmatrixupdates.Thepredictedinformation methodisshowntogivetheexactsolutionforlinearsystems when the measurement dynamics are constant or known by all sensor nodes. The predicted information method is evaluated with a cooperative geolocation problem with two uninhabited aerial vehicles using gimballing camera sensors. Flight-test data and high-fidelity hardware-in-the-loop simulations are used to compare the predicted information method with three benchmark methods from the literature for tracking both stationary and maneuvering targets and for single extended losses and random dropouts.
Natural Selection and Molecular Evolution in PTC, a Bitter-Taste Receptor Gene

The ability to taste phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) is a classic phenotype that has long been known to vary in human populations. This phenotype is of genetic, epidemiologic, and evolutionary interest because the ability to taste PTC is correlated with the ability to taste other bitter substances, many of which are toxic. Thus, variation in PTC perception may reflect variation in dietary preferences throughout human history and could correlate with susceptibility to diet-related diseases in modern populations. To test R. A. Fisher’s long-standing hypothesis that variability in PTC perception has been maintained by balancing natural selection, we examined patterns of DNA sequence variation in the recently identified PTC gene, which accounts for up to 85% of phenotypic variance in the trait. We analyzed the entire coding region of PTC (1,002 bp) in a sample of 330 chromosomes collected from African (n=62), Asian (n=138), European (n=110), and North American (n=20) populations by use of new statistical tests for natural selection that take into account the potentially confounding effects of human population growth. Two intermediate-frequency haplotypes corresponding to “taster” and “nontaster” phenotypes were found. These haplotypes had similar frequencies across Africa, Asia, and Europe. Genetic differentiation between the continental population samples was low (FST=0.056) in comparison with estimates based on other genes. In addition, Tajima’s D and Fu and Li’s D and F statistics demonstrated a significant deviation from neutrality because of an excess of intermediate-frequency variants when human population growth was taken into account (P<.01). These results combine to suggest that balancing natural selection has acted to maintain “taster” and “nontaster” alleles at the PTC locus in humans.
With Deft Knife and Paste: The Extra-Illustrated Books of John M. Wing

There is one member of the Fraternity of Book Collectors who has of late years rather fallen in the estimation of his brother Bibliophiles. This knight of the shears and paste jar… is known in bookman’s parlance as the Grangerite. The title never has been understood to indicate exalted bibliophilic rank, and now, alas! the individual who bears it appears to be upon the point of losing all honorary distinction whatever in the little world of the book collector. —W. L. Andrews, Of the Extra-Illustration of Books John Mansir Wing, one of Chicago’s great library benefactors, was an unrepentant Grangerite ...
Modeling duration in a hidden Markov model with the exponential family

A procedure for modeling duration with some PDF (probability density function) or PMF (probability mass function) in the exponential family is presented. A means of selecting an appropriate member of the exponential family is suggested. The parameter estimation procedure presented here offers several advantages over other methods of duration modeling. First, the duration PMF can be found directly, rather than sampling and truncating the optimum density. Secondly, the optimum duration parameters are found from Ferguson's nonparametric PMF. This simplifies reestimation because the operation of casting a nonparametric PMF to the desired parametric family can be completely separated from the forward and backward algorithms. Thirdly, several competing members of the exponential family can be evaluated quickly for each state in the HMM. This makes it possible to model each state's duration with the best member from a set of parametric PMFs in the exponential family. Finally, the solution holds for an PDF or PMF in the exponential family, which includes a large number of promising candidates. >
High Efficiency Molecular Delivery with Sequential Low-Energy Sonoporation Bursts

Microbubbles interact with ultrasound to induce transient microscopic pores in the cellular plasma membrane in a highly localized thermo-mechanical process called sonoporation. Theranostic applications of in vitro sonoporation include molecular delivery (e.g., transfection, drug loading and cell labeling), as well as molecular extraction for measuring intracellular biomarkers, such as proteins and mRNA. Prior research focusing mainly on the effects of acoustic forcing with polydisperse microbubbles has identified a "soft limit" of sonoporation efficiency at 50% when including dead and lysed cells. We show here that this limit can be exceeded with the judicious use of monodisperse microbubbles driven by a physiotherapy device (1.0 MHz, 2.0 W/cm(2), 10% duty cycle). We first examined the effects of microbubble size and found that small-diameter microbubbles (2 µm) deliver more instantaneous power than larger microbubbles (4 & 6 µm). However, owing to rapid fragmentation and a short half-life (0.7 s for 2 µm; 13.3 s for 6 µm), they also deliver less energy over the sonoporation time. This translates to a higher ratio of FITC-dextran (70 kDa) uptake to cell death/lysis (4:1 for 2 µm; 1:2 for 6 µm) in suspended HeLa cells after a single sonoporation. Sequential sonoporations (up to four) were consequently employed to increase molecular delivery. Peak uptake was found to be 66.1 ± 1.2% (n=3) after two sonoporations when properly accounting for cell lysis (7.0 ± 5.6%) and death (17.9 ± 2.0%), thus overcoming the previously reported soft limit. Substitution of TRITC-dextran (70 kDa) on the second sonoporation confirmed the effects were multiplicative. Overall, this study demonstrates the possibility of utilizing monodisperse small-diameter microbubbles as a means to achieve multiple low-energy sonoporation bursts for efficient in vitro cellular uptake and sequential molecular delivery.
In situ IR and X-ray high spatial-resolution microspectroscopy measurements of multistep organic transformation in flow microreactor catalyzed by Au nanoclusters.

Analysis of catalytic organic transformations in flow reactors and detection of short-lived intermediates are essential for optimization of these complex reactions. In this study, spectral mapping of a multistep catalytic reaction in a flow microreactor was performed with a spatial resolution of 15 μm, employing micrometer-sized synchrotron-based IR and X-ray beams. Two nanometer sized Au nanoclusters were supported on mesoporous SiO2, packed in a flow microreactor, and activated toward the cascade reaction of pyran formation. High catalytic conversion and tunable products selectivity were achieved under continuous flow conditions. In situ synchrotron-sourced IR microspectroscopy detected the evolution of the reactant, vinyl ether, into the primary product, allenic aldehyde, which then catalytically transformed into acetal, the secondary product. By tuning the residence time of the reactants in a flow microreactor a detailed analysis of the reaction kinetics was performed. An in situ micrometer X-ray abso...
R3C−H→SiFR3 Agostic Interaction

As part of our investigations of main group complexes with unusual bridging interactions, we have set out to determine if fluorosilane Lewis acids could form σ-complexes with alkanes. In order to p...
Imagining the Byzantine Past: The Perception of History in the Illustrated Manuscripts of Skylitzes and Manasses

Introduction 1. Mystery, history and materiality 2. Engaging Byzantium, enraging Byzantium: Sicily, Bulgaria and the contestation of Constantinopolitan pre-eminence 3. Narrative emplotments and patterns of prioritization: analyzing visual codes and structural modes 4. Amplification as dialogue: the link between design and patronage 5. Iconoclasm as narrative experiment: religion, politics and memory 6. A headstrong case for getting ahead: scrutinizing narratives of de-capitation 7. Constantinople: story spaces or storied Imperial places Afterword.
Glucocorticoid regulation of surfactant components in immature lambs.

To assess effects of dose and duration of glucocorticoid exposure on maturation of the fetal lung, we administered single or multiple doses of betamethasone (0.5 mg/kg im) to pregnant sheep for 2 o...
The Olfactory Neuroecology of Herbivory, Hostplant Selection and Plant–Pollinator Interactions

Plants experience often opposing energetic demands and selective pressures-for instance, where plants need to attract an insect that is both the pollinator and herbivore, or alternately, where plants attract prey (due to limited resources) and pollinators. Together, these selective pressures can modify the volatile signals available to the plant's mutualistic and antagonistic partners. Nevertheless, it remains an open question how changes in the information content of volatile signals modify behavioral responses in mutualists and antagonists, and what the underlying neural bases of these behaviors are. This review focuses on two systems to explore the impact of herbivory and resource availability on plant-pollinator interactions: hawkmoth-pollinated hostplants (where herbivory is common), and carnivorous bee-pollinated pitcher plants (where the plants differentially attract bee pollinators and other insect prey). We focus on (1) the volatile signals emitted from these plants because these volatiles operate as long-distance signals to attract, or deter, insect partners, (2) how this information is processed in the hawkmoth olfactory system, and (3) how volatile information changes spatiotemporally. In both the plants and their respective insect partner(s), volatile signaling, reception and behavior are dynamic and plastic, providing flexibility an ever-changing environment.
Exploring neuroplasticity in acute mild traumatic brain injury

ObjectivesTo explore neuroplasticity in a longitudinal study of acute mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). MethodsWe are using quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) and magnetoencephalography (...
A Flat Interface and its Unfolding Bifurcations

The experimental setup used is a classical directional solidification one where a movable sample holder is displaced at a controled velocity along a temperature gradient provided by two thermally regulated copper blocks. The sample consists of a thin layer of liquid crystal (here the 4,4’-n-octylcyanobiphenyl, 8CB) sandwiched between two glass plates. The temperatures are adjusted such that the liquid crystal undergoes a phase transition above the gap between the two blocks. The 8CB is isotropic down to 40.5°C where it becomes nematic through a weakly first order transition. The sample is properly moved along the gradient so that the amount of the more ordered phase (here the nematic one) is increased with respect to the less ordered one (the isotropic one); hence the name directional ordering experiment. The experimental setup is mounted on an optical microscope to observe the interface and eventually record it for later analysis (Oswald et al., 1987; Bechhoefer, 1988; Simon et al., 1988; Simon and Libchaber, 1990).
Pathogenicity determinants in the smut fungi of cereals

The smut fungi are a large group of plant pathogenic fungi and belong to the order Ustilaginales of the Basidiomycetes (Kenaga, 1972; Agrios, 1988). Most attack cereal grains and grasses, though they also affect broad leaf plants. Smut fungi can cause serious grain losses because they develop in the kernels, replacing the kernel contents with black masses of sooty spores, from which the term smut is derived (Agrios, 1988). Some of the most common smut fungi of cereals and the diseases they incite are U stilago maydis (corn smut disease), U. nuda (loose smut of barley), U. avenae (loose smut of oats), U. tritici (loose smut of wheat), and U. hordei (covered smut of barley).
International Development Policies and Coastalscape Metabolism: The Case of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Over the last few decades, coastalscapes have been seriously threatened by the rising effects of climate change such as sea level rise, coastal degradation and extreme flooding. To cope with these threats, since 1992, international development organisations have promoted Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and its implementation in particular in coastal regions of the “Global South”. Inspired by a political ecology of development approach, this paper analyses coastalscape metabolism and community level socio-environmental transformations in relation to ICZM implementation politics in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. ICZM was designed to integrate management of coastal regions and to promote socio-economic and environmental sustainability. By adopting the concept of metabolism to coastalscapes, and reflecting on their interactions, data were collected through qualitative field-research at the community level in the Mekong Delta. Research shows that ICZM and its development initiatives implementation slightly shaped coastalscape governance and communities relations, merely influencing policy-making and state bureaucratic structure and legitimation. Rather, the Mekong Delta coastalscape was reconfigured by complex metabolic socio-environmental transformations which embed global political-economic processes, shifting water flows and climate change dynamics.
DYNAMIC USER INTERFACES FOR SEMI-STRUCTURED CONVERSATIONS

The growing complexity of application-to-application interactions has motivated the development of an architectural model with first-class support for multi-step, stateful message exchanges—i.e., conversations—and a declarative means of specifying conversational protocols. In this paper, we extend this architectural model to encompass UI-enabled devices, thereby enabling it to cover human-to-application conversations as well. This permits either participant to be human-driven, automated, or anywhere in between, without affecting the nature of the interaction or of the other participant. The UI-enabled conversational model also reduces the difficulty of developing conversational applications, providing significant benefits both for UI and for application developers. We describe the architecture of a UI-enabled conversational system that supports a variety of user devices, and includes a means by which UI markup may be automatically generated from the conversational protocols used. We go through a sample application currently implemented using a commercially available application server, and further describe a graphical tool for editing and testing conversational protocols, that significantly eases the protocol development process.
Thematic Roles and the Individuation of Events

The history of thematic roles (alternatively called ‘case roles/relations’ (Fillmore, 1968) and ‘thematic relations’ (Gruber, 1965)) in recent linguistic theory is one filled with varying conceptions of what these are, if indeed they exist at all.1 They have at times been conceived of as purely syntactic objects (e.g. the ‘theta roles’ of Chomsky, 1981; the “case relations” of Fillmore, 1968), as names for parts of lexical/conceptual structure (e.g. Jackendoff, 1987), as purely semantic objects (Dowty, 1991; Parsons 1990, Carlson, 1984), or as epiphenomena (Ravin, 1990). The question of whether thematic roles are objects made reference to by a linguistic theory has been examined and reexamined with mixed results (Jackendoff (1972, 1987), Nishigauchi (1984), Dryer (1985), Bresnan (1982), Ladusaw and Dowty (1988), Ravin (1990)). This is perhaps not surprising since thematic roles would appear to be dispensable entities in the sense that it is easy to conceive of how to write a lexicon, a syntax, a morphology, a semantics, or a pragmatics without them. Still, the observations surrounding thematic roles are just tantalizing enough to take notice, and make one wonder what they might be.
Relationships Between Human-Extracted MRI Tumor Phenotypes of Breast Cancer and Clinical Prognostic Indicators Including Receptor Status and Molecular Subtype

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ABSTRACT PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to investigate if human-extracted MRI tumor phenotypes of breast cancer could predict receptor status and tumor molecular subtype using MRIs from The Cancer Genome Atlas project. MATERIALS AND METHODS Our retrospective interpretation study utilized the analysis of HIPAA-compliant breast MRI data from The Cancer Imaging Archive. One hundred and seven preoperative breast MRIs of biopsy proven invasive breast cancers were analyzed by 3 fellowship-trained breast-imaging radiologists. Each study was scored according to the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System lexicon for mass and nonmass features. The Spearman rank correlation was used for association analysis of continuous variables; the Kruskal-Wallis test was used for associating continuous outcomes with categorical variables. The Fisher-exact test was used to assess correlations between categorical image-derived features and receptor status. Prediction of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor, and molecular subtype were performed using random forest classifiers. RESULTS ER+ tumors were associated with the absence of rim enhancement (P = 0.019, odds ratio [OR] 5.5), heterogeneous internal enhancement (P = 0.02, OR 6.5), peritumoral edema (P = 0.0001, OR 10.0), and axillary adenopathy (P = 0.04, OR 4.4). ER+ tumors were smaller than ER− tumors (23.7 mm vs 29.2 mm, P = 0.02, OR 8.2). All of these variables except the lack of axillary adenopathy were also associated with progesterone receptor+ status. Luminal A tumors (n = 57) were smaller compared to nonLuminal A (21.8 mm vs 27.5 mm, P = 0.035, OR 7.3) and lacked peritumoral edema ( P = 0.001, OR 6.8). Basal like tumors were associated with heterogeneous internal enhancement (P = 0.05, OR 10.1), rim enhancement (P = 0.05, OR6.9), and perituomral edema (P = 0.0001, OR 13.8). CONCLUSIONS Human extracted MRI tumor phenotypes may be able to differentiate those tumors with a more favorable clinical prognosis from their more aggressive counterparts.
Achieving Economic Self-Sufficiency Through Housing Assistance: An Assessment of a Self-Sufficiency Program of the Housing Authority of Champaign County, Illinois

ABSTRACTThis study examines the early impact of a Local Self-Sufficiency (LSS) program of the Housing Authority of Champaign County (HACC), Illinois, on recipients’ total annual household income and earnings, and employment. In 2013, HACC, through LSS, mandated work requirements for households with working-age, able-bodied adult members and imposed sanctions on those who did not meet the program requirements. We find that, between 2012 and 2014, the LSS program led to an average increase of $2,283 in earnings for an individual household. In aggregate, this allowed HACC to serve an additional 98 (9%) LSS-eligible households for a year. Also, LSS-eligible households experienced an increase in the employment–adult ratio by 11.6 percentage points. The LSS program also had a larger impact for more economically disadvantaged households with no prior work history.
Engaging English Language Learners in Model-Based Science Instruction

A model-based instructional approach offers English language learners instruction that integrates content and language to provide them with linguistically rich opportunities while learning science. This approach allows ELLs opportunities to construct models as hands-on activities to represent some aspect of reality. Language practice opportunities using the language of science are provided for ELLs to evaluate and defend their model constructions through oral and written argumentation. Science instruction through this approach ensures ELLs are provided with learning experiences that mirror the social practices of scientists, such as conducting inquiry investigations, constructing models, evaluating models and creating arguments to communicate experimental findings. In this approach, ongoing assessment is important to provide continuous feedback to students on their content and language learning. Rubrics developed in model-based instruction offer an alternative assessment method to measure ELL performance in science language use.
Assessment of olfactory dysfunction as a potential biomarker in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (P4.129)

Objective: To examine whether there is a significant decrease in olfactory function in ALS patients as compared to normal controls, and to determine whether the degree of hyposmia will differ by ALS subtype (bulbar, spinal, and ALS with FTD). Background: Olfactory dysfunction (hyposmia) has been found to be a powerful biomarker for neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, preceding motor symptoms by several years and predicting future cognitive impairment. Olfactory dysfunction is an easy, inexpensive marker that could be tested with other biomarkers to aid in diagnosis and provide additional information about a particular patient’s disease. This pilot study tests the prevalence of olfactory dysfunction amongst ALS patients by administering the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT). Design/Methods: Patients with familial or sporadic ALS with definite, probable, laboratory-supported probable, and possible ALS were included in the study. Baseline olfactory function of ALS participants and controls was tested with the UPSIT. Additional measures for ALS participants included the ALSFRS-R, ALS-CBS, FVC, disease duration, site of ALS onset, and genetic cause. Results: ALS participants had both bulbar and spinal onset disease. While ALS participants mostly had sporadic disease, some ALS participants had familial ALS. There were no significant differences in basic demographics including age, race, gender, or smoking history. Linear regression shows that, when adjusting for age and gender, there is a statistically significant decrease of UPSIT in ALS participants as compared to control participants. Conclusions: Our preliminary data demonstrate that this method for assessing olfactory dysfunction can be performed quickly and without discomfort during an ALS clinic visit. The results obtained for ALS can be compared to other neurodegenerative disorders and may offer opportunities to use measures of olfactory dysfunction as a biomarker in predicting ALS subtypes, disease severity, or disease progression. Study Supported by: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Dean’s Funding program Disclosure: Dr. Viguera has nothing to disclose. Dr. Mosmiller has nothing to disclose. Dr. Rodriguez has nothing to disclose. Dr. Maragakis has received personal compensation for activities with Advanced Technologies and Regenerative Medicine LLC and Above and Beyond. Dr. Maragakis has received research support from Above and Beyond, LLC.
To end disease tomorrow, begin with trials today: Digital strategies for increased awareness of a clinical trials finder

Introduction Individuals experiencing different medical conditions, as well as healthy volunteers, may often be interested in trial participation, and researchers similarly need to find participants to advance medical knowledge. The ResearchMatch (RM) Trials Today clinical trial searching tool leverages clinicaltrials.gov data to enable potential participants to look for trial opportunities relevant to their situation. To facilitate expanded use of this tool, we undertook a national digital public awareness campaign to increase awareness of Trials Today among members of the general public. Methods The awareness campaign promoted Trials Today using Facebook and digital banner messages in 2017, encompassing nine cities across the USA. The digital strategy was complemented by print media in several outlets. We employed descriptive statistics to summarize campaign metrics and site usage data during the campaign. Results The campaign was successful in increasing visits to Trials Today, with 142,303 sessions logged during its run, as compared to pre-campaign data indicating 104,688 total sessions during the entire 2-year period since the site's inception. The city-specific click-through rate for all digital impressions, combining Facebook and banner messaging, ranged from 0.50% to 1.09%, resulting in a cost-per-click range of $0.69-$1.15. In addition, visitors conducted 29,697 searches and viewed individual trial records 173,512 times. Conclusion The public awareness campaign was successful in increasing use of the RM Trials Today clinical trial searching tool. Our findings support the value of digital media messaging as a cost-effective vehicle for promoting clinical trial awareness, especially for chronic ailments.
NMDARs Translate Sequential Temporal Information into Spatial Maps

Summary Spatial representations of the sensory world are important for brain function. Timing is an essential component of sensory information. Many brain circuits transform the temporal sequence of input activity into spatial maps; however, the mechanisms underlying this transformation are unclear. Different N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) response magnitudes result in synaptic potentiation or depression. We asked whether NMDAR response magnitude also affects the transformation of temporal information into directional spatial maps. We quantified retinotectal axon branch dynamics in Xenopus optic tectum in response to temporal sequences of visual stimulation. Reducing NMDAR responses by 50% inverts the spatial distribution of branch dynamics along the rostrocaudal axis in response to temporal patterns of input, suggesting that the magnitude of NMDAR signaling encodes the temporal sequence of inputs and translates the temporal code into a directional spatial map using structural plasticity-based branch dynamics. We discuss how this NMDAR-dependent decoding mechanism retrieves spatial information from sequential afferent activity.
Real-world outcomes of elderly patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) treated with chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy.

8039Background: CAR-T has drastically improved outcomes for R/R DLBCL patients (pts). While CAR-T is now standard of care for the treatment of R/R DLBCL, little is known about its efficacy and toxi...
Nadine Amsler, Jesuits and Matriarchs: Domestic Worship in Early Modern China. Seattle, Washington: University of Washington Press, 2018. 258 pp. Maps, Illustrations, Glossary, Bibliography, Index. US$ 95 (HB). ISBN 978-0-295-74379-0

Some twenty-five years ago, the study of Chinese women moved into the mainstream of academic inquiry with such works as Dorothy Ko’s Teachers of the Inner Chambers: Women and Culture in Seventeenth...
“Bernie Will”: Narratives of Hope and Resistance During the Anti-Establishment Era

In this chapter, I focus on the narrative practice and activities of the Single Payer Movement during the current era of anti-establishment politics that included the ascendancy of both Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump in the American political sphere. A critique of “politics as usual,” shared with the Single Payer Movement, was a central aspect of the narrative practice of both campaigns. I examine how single-payer activists worked to create this new political context by encouraging Senator Sanders to commence a presidential campaign. Following the election of Donald Trump, the narrative practice of the Single Payer Movement became centered on resistance to the new administration while still working to insert the single-payer alternative into the master narrative of healthcare reform. During this era, the Single Payer Movement experienced an increase in both political and public support for single payer, which was related to collective opposition to the Trump administration.
Impact of Body Weight Perceptions and Electronic Bullying on Suicide-Related Risk Behaviors among Youth: Results from Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, 2015.

Background For youth between the ages of 10 and 24, suicide is the third leading cause of death, and results in approximately 4600 lives lost each year. Body weight status and bullying is associated with increase mental health disorders. Methods We analyzed data from the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, consisting of 15,506 students in grades 9-12. Logistic regression analysis was performed using STATA13 to estimate the independent association of perceived weight status and bullying experienced at school and electronically to suicidal behaviors measured as-considered suicide, made a suicide plan, attempted suicide, and injurious suicide attempt, after controlling for socio-demographics. Results Considered suicide and attempted suicide were significantly associated with very overweight, slightly overweight, very underweight, and slightly underweight weight perceptions. Made suicide plan was significantly associated with slightly and very overweight perceptions. Injurious suicide attempt was significantly associated with very underweight or very overweight perceptions. Bullying, at school and electronically was significantly associated with all suicidal behaviors. Conclusions Examination of not just body weight status but body weight perceptions held by adolescent students, and the experience of not just in-person bullying but also electronic bullying on youth suicidal behaviors is crucial.
Taylor dispersion in osmotically driven laminar flows in phloem

Sucrose is among the main products of photosynthesis that are deemed necessary for plant growth and survival. It is produced in the mesophyll cells of leaves and translocated to different parts of the plant through the phloem. Progress in understanding this transport process remains fraught with experimental difficulties, thereby prompting interest in theoretical approaches and laboratory studies. The Munch pressure and mass flow model is one of the accepted hypotheses describing the physics of sucrose transport in the phloem. It is based on osmosis creating an energy potential difference between the source and the sink. The flow responding to this energy potential is assumed laminar and described by the Hagen–Poiseuille equation. This study revisits such osmotically driven flows in tubes with membrane walls by including the effects of Taylor dispersion on mass transport. This effect has been overlooked in phloem flow studies. Taylor dispersion can increase the effective transport of solutes by increasing the apparent diffusion coefficient. It is shown that, in addition to the conventional diffusive correction derived for impermeable tube walls, a new adjustment to the mean advective terms arises because of osmotic effects. Because the molecular Schmidt number is very large for sucrose in water, the sucrose front speed and travel times have a direct dependence on the Peclet number for different ranges of the Munch number. This study establishes upper limits on expected Taylor dispersion enhancement of sucrose transport.