cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Meta-Analysis of Interventions for Struggling Readers in Grades 4–12: 1980–2011

This meta-analysis synthesizes the literature on interventions for struggling readers in Grades 4 through 12 published between 1980 and 2011. It updates Scammacca et al.’s analysis of studies published between 1980 and 2004. The combined corpus of 82 study-wise effect sizes was meta-analyzed to determine (a) the overall effectiveness of reading interventions studied over the past 30 years, (b) how the magnitude of the effect varies based on student, intervention, and research design characteristics, and (c) what differences in effectiveness exist between more recent interventions and older ones. The analysis yielded a mean effect of 0.49, considerably smaller than the 0.95 mean effect reported in 2007. The mean effect for standardized measures was 0.21, also much smaller than the 0.42 mean effect reported in 2007. The mean effects for reading comprehension measures were similarly diminished. Results indicated that the mean effects for the 1980–2004 and 2005–2011 groups of studies were different to a statistically significant degree. The decline in effect sizes over time is attributed at least in part to increased use of standardized measures, more rigorous and complex research designs, differences in participant characteristics, and improvements in the school’s “business-as-usual” instruction that often serves as the comparison condition in intervention studies.
A20 protects mice from D-galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide acute toxic lethal hepatitis

Apoptosis of hepatocytes is a seminal feature of fulminant hepatic failure. We show that the anti-apoptotic protein A20 is upregulated in hepatocytes by pro-inflammatory stimuli and functions to protect from apoptosis and limit inflammation by inhibiting NF-kappaB. Adenoviral mediated hepatic expression of A20 in BALB/c mice yields an 85% survival rate in the D-galactosamine (D-gal)/lipolysaccharide (LPS) model of acute toxic hepatitis compared with 15% to 20 % in control mice. Expression of A20 preserves normal liver function as assessed by prothrombin time. The protective effect of A20 is independent of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibition. Maintaining high circulating TNF levels may be advantageous for liver regeneration. Our data supports this hypothesis as evidenced by increased proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression in the livers of mice expressing A20 compared with a dominant negative mutant of the TNF receptor (TNF-R), 6 hours following D-gal/LPS administration. In conclusion, these results qualify A20 as part of a physiologic, protective response of hepatocytes to injury and a promising gene therapy candidate for clinical applications aimed at preventing and treating viral and toxic fulminant hepatic failure.
Polymers: Performing under pressure

Most probe-based approaches to data storage rely on heating a polymer substrate with a tip, but a new approach relies on pressure instead.
Development of a class-specific immunoassay for the type I pyrethroid insecticides

A general enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was developed for the type I pyrethroid insecticides, such as permethrin, phenothrin, resmethrin and bioresmethrin. Polyclonal antibodies were generated by immunizing with a permethrin derivative, 2,2-dimethyl-3-(5 � -carboxy-pent-1 � -en-yl)cyclopropanecarboxylic acid-(3-phenoxybenzyl)ester conjugated with thyroglobulin, bovine serum albumin or ovalbumin. Antisera were screened against eight different coating antigens. The antibody–antigen combination with the lowest background, and highest sensitivity for permethrin was further optimized and tested for solvent and detergent tolerance. The I50’s of the optimized immunoassay were 30g/l for permethrin and 20g/l for phenothrin, respectively. No cross-reactivities were measured to the type II pyrethroids, such as esfenvalerate, cyfluthrin, cypermethrin, deltamethrin, fenvalerate and fluvalinate. This assay can be used in monitoring studies to distinguish between types I and II pyrethroids. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Transitions between School and Hospital for Students with Multiple Disabilities: A Survey of Causes, Educational Continuity, and Parental Perceptions

We studied the causes, educational continuity, and parental perceptions associated with students with multiple disabilities transitioning from school to hospital. A sample from the southeastern Uni...
Ultra low radiation dose cardiac CT.

A 36 year old woman with a history of prior tobacco use and body mass index of 20.0 kg/m was referred for a cardiac computed tomography (CT) for evaluation of intermittent atypical chest discomfort which was provoked by exercise and relieved with rest. Given the patient's young age an individualized ultra low radiation dose protocol was selected. Using the dual-source CT scanner (Siemens Definition; 2×32× .6) the following parameters were used: prospective triggering at 65% of the R–R interval, 80 kV, 140 mA s. Beta blockers were administered and the average heart rate during the acquisition was 56 beats/minute. The CT demonstrated that all 3 coronary arteries were free of coronary artery disease and had a normal origin from the aortic root (Figs. 1 and 2). The effective radiation dose for the entire study was 0.7 mS v (0.2 mS v for the test bolus and 0.5 mS v for the coronary scan). To the best of our knowledge, this is the lowest reported radiation dose associated with a cardiac CT examination.
Open source software for electric field Monte Carlo simulation of coherent backscattering in biological media containing birefringence

We present an open source electric field tracking Monte Carlo program to model backscattering in biological media containing birefringence, with computation of the coherent backscattering phenomenon as an example. These simulations enable the modeling of tissue scattering as a statistically homogeneous continuous random media under the Whittle-Matern model, which includes the Henyey-Greenstein phase function as a special case, or as a composition of discrete spherical scatterers under Mie theory. The calculation of the amplitude scatter- ing matrix for the above two cases as well as the implementation of birefringence using the Jones N-matrix formalism is presented. For ease of operator use and data processing, our simulation incorporates a graphical user interface written in MATLAB to interact with the underlying C code. Additionally, an increase in computational speed is achieved through implementation of message passing interface and the semi-analytical approach. Finally, we provide demonstrations of the results of our simulation for purely scattering media and scattering media containing linear birefringence. © 2012 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). (DOI: 10.1117/1.JBO.17.11.115001)
Modeling the moral user

This paper discusses the ethical issues in the design of autonomous lethal robotics. The design of any safety-critical system that relies upon human decision making, and thus the design of any tele-operated weapons system, has significant implications for the ethical decision making of users.
Interactions among paired‐pulse facilitation and post‐tetanic and long‐term potentiation in the mossy fiber‐CA3 pathway in rat hippocampus

Long-term potentiation (LTP) observed at the synapses of mossy fiber-CA3 (MF-CA3) pathway differs from that observed at the Schaffer collateral-CA1 pathway (SC-CA1), in being independent of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. The induction and expression mechanisms of MF-CA3 LTP remain to be determined. We have compared the occurrence and magnitude of LTP with that of two other indicators of presynaptic plasticity, post-tetanic potentiation (PTP) and paired-pulse facilitation in control brain slices from young rats and in slices treated with phorbol-12, 13-diacetate (PDAc), a protein kinase C activator. Paired-pulse facilitation is a potentiation of the second of two responses at intervals of tens of milliseconds and is due to a presynaptic calcium increase. Tetanic stimulation of mossy fibers induced LTP is area CA3 in only 64% of slices. In those slices that showed LTP, the size of the PTP was significantly greater than in those slices that did not, and the degree of correlation between LTP and PTP amplitude overall was r = 0.7. The degree of paired-pulse facilitation before tetanic stimulation was also positively correlated to the occurrence and magnitude of LTP and PTP after tetanic stimulation. The correlation coefficient between PTP and PPF was 0.749 for all slices studied, while that between LTP and PPF was 0.835 overall. Application of PDAc potentiated synaptic transmission and abolished paired-pulse facilitation (control ratio of second to first response, 2.1; after PDAc ratio 0.8) and LTP. PTP was absent at the control stimulus intensity in PDAc, but was apparent if the stimulus intensity was reduced to give a response of the same amplitude as before administration of PDAc. Stable LTP was also accompanied by a marked decrease in paired-pulse facilitation. These data suggest that MF-CA3 LTP, PTP and paired-pulse facilitation share common mechanisms and are all at least primarily of presynaptic origin. The occurrence of large paired-pulse facilitation or PTP is a predictor of a preparation which will show LTP. It is likely that presynaptic [Ca2+]i is an essential factor in LTP, PTP and paired-pulse facilitation, as well as the potentiation induced by application of PDAc, but the factors which determine whether or not [Ca2+]i rises following these various stimuli are not clear from the techniques used in these investigations.
Producers versus Capitalists: Constitutional Conflict in Antebellum America

Throughout much of American history the relationship between the Constitution and capitalism has been contentious. Recently, however, consensus has replaced conflict as the framework for understanding capitalism's relationship to constitutional development. Thus the recurrent struggles between producers and capitalists (financiers, speculators, corporations, and the like) over the constitutionality of capitalistic practices have come to be viewed simply as politically manageable tensions within a liberal-capitalist consensus. This study focuses on how antebellum constitutional law and principles responded to and shaped producers' appeals for protection from capitalists' predations. Placing the constitutional system's operation in the context of the nation's profound ideological and social conflicts, Tony A. Freyer suggests that the normative force of constitutional values often enabled pro-producer, protectionist policies to be enacted, despite an emerging corporate and mercantile capitalist consensus. The first chapter sets out a framework for understanding the social basis of constitutionalism and its policymaking impact between 1800 and 1860. Subsequent chapters employ this framework in the setting of the mid-Atlantic states of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. They focus on four principal policy areas: debtor-creditor relations, taxation, eminent domain, and railroad accidents. This mid-Atlantic region is intended to serve as a federal system in miniature, offering opportunities for comparative analysis. By illuminating the interplay between social conflict and constitutional institutions, the book reveals a policy-making process which was dynamic, reflecting amultiplicity of values and supporting diverse producer interests, many of which conflicted with those of corporate and mercantile capitalists. Freyer challenges established historical interpretations not only of social-class conflict but also of the Supreme Court under chief justices
Modeling permeation through anisotropic zeolite membranes with nanoscopic defects

We have modeled permeation through anisotropic zeolite membranes with nanoscopic defects that create shortcuts perpendicular to the transmembrane direction (x). We have found that the dimensionless ratio Dy /(kd1y) can be used to estimate whether the shortcuts contribute significantly to the overall flux. Here Dy is the diffusion coefficient for motion in the plane of the membrane, kd is the rate of desorbing into defect voids, and 1y is the spacing between adjacent defects. For values of Dy=.kd1y/ 1, we find that shortcuts increase the flux by significant amounts. The magnitude of the flux is increased as the imperfection spacing 1y is decreased. For small values of 1y, permeation through shortcuts becomes sorption-limited so that decreasing 1y further does not increase the flux through a single shortcut. However, as 1y is decreased, the concentration of shortcuts increases, thereby increasing the total contribution of the shortcuts to the flux. We have found regimes where increasing 1y or decreasing Dy decreases the overall flux, showing that permeation can be diffusion-limited by motion perpendicular to the transmembrane direction. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Acceptor Related Photoluminescence as a Probe of Many-Electron States in Semiconductor Nanostructures

We review the use of acceptor related photoluminescence as a probe of many-electron states in semiconductor nanostructures. The nonperturbative exact treatment of the Fermi edge singularity is reviewed and applied to the radiative recombination spectrum of the quasi-two-dimensional and quasi-one-dimensional electron gas.
Magnetic field disturbance signal processing

A nondestructive evaluation technique for detecting flaws in reinforcing and prestressed steels, the magnetic field disturbance method (MFD), is described. It requires the processing and analyzing of data from a multiplicity of Hall-effect transducers. An evaluation of an MFD system developed for the Federal Highway Department has produced a number of methods for the analysis and characterization of the data produced by the MFD system. These signal processing methods, as related to laboratory and field experiments pertaining to the detection of flaws and fractures in bars and cables, are discussed. It is shown that the correlation and profile analysis methods can both identify flaws in many cases. The profile algorithm yields a quicker method of finding flaws. It compares quite favorably with correlation analysis and in a number of cases surpasses it. Neither data analysis method yields entirely reliable results in all cases. >
Lin28A Binds Active Promoters and Recruits Tet1 to Regulate Gene Expression

Lin28, a well-known RNA-binding protein, regulates diverse cellular properties. All physiological functions of Lin28A characterized so far have been attributed to its repression of let-7 miRNA biogenesis or modulation of mRNA translational efficiency. Here we show that Lin28A directly binds to a consensus DNA sequence in vitro and in mouse embryonic stem cells in vivo. ChIP-seq and RNA-seq reveal enrichment of Lin28A binding around transcription start sites and a positive correlation between its genomic occupancy and expression of many associated genes. Mechanistically, Lin28A recruits 5-methylcytosine-dioxygenase Tet1 to genomic binding sites to orchestrate 5-methylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine dynamics. Either Lin28A or Tet1 knockdown leads to dysregulated DNA methylation and expression of common target genes. These results reveal a surprising role for Lin28A in transcriptional regulation via epigenetic DNA modifications and have implications for understanding mechanisms underlying versatile functions of Lin28A in mammalian systems.
Dependence of the permanent deformation of red blood cell membranes on spectrin dimer-tetramer equilibrium: implication for permanent membrane deformation of irreversibly sickled cells

Red blood cells (RBCs) in sickle cell anemia, transformed into a sickled shape by prolonged deoxygenation, or normal RBCs deformed by a prolonged micropipette aspiration become permanently stabilized in their abnormal shape. This semisolid plastic behavior is thought to involve an irreversible reorganization of the membrane skeleton, but the exact nature of this skeletal rearrangement is not known. In this study, we first asked whether the irreversible deformation is associated with a permanent stretching of the skeletal network, and then whether it is due to a rearrangement of skeletal components involving a disruption of pre-existing protein associations and the subsequent reassociation of new protein contacts. Having found no ultrastructural evidence of stretching of the skeletal lattice in membranes derived from permanently deformed RBCs, we addressed the possibility of reorganization of the proteins of the membrane skeleton. We examined the temperature dependence of irreversible cell deformation to see if it correlated with the known temperature dependence of spectrin tetramers to dimer dissociation and reassociation. Testing the shape irreversibility of both deoxygenated reversibly sickled cells and Nucleopore-aspirated normal cells, we found that both types of cells became permanently deformed when the prolonged incubation of applied force or deoxygenation was performed at 37 degrees C, the temperature at which spectrin tetramers were free to dissociate and reassociate. In contrast, both types of cells were able to regain their original discocytic shape if the prolonged incubation was performed at the lower temperature: at less than 13 degrees C instead of 37 degrees C. Furthermore, normal RBCs were incubated with inosine and pyruvate to elevate intracellular 2,3-diphosphoglycerate, the polyanion shown to destabilize spectrin-actin-protein 4.1 association. This did not result in a promotion of irreversible deformation of these cells. We conclude that the irreversible cell deformation observed at physiologic temperature is associated with a skeletal rearrangement through dissociation of spectrin tetramers to dimers and a subsequent reassociation of dimers to tetramers in the new (deformed) configuration. These findings may explain a permanent stabilization of irreversibly sickled cells in their abnormal shape in vivo.
Finite element methods in reactor physics analysis

Publisher Summary This chapter explains why the finite element method is of interest to problems in reactor analysis and discusses how the method can be applied to problems of neutron diffusion. The roots of finite element method lie in the area of interpolation of functions or data. The classes of known functions used for interpolation most frequently include polynomials and trigonometric functions. The finite element method can be used for problems with very complex properties and/or geometries, for example, airframes and other complicated structures. The method is very accurate, so relatively few unknowns are needed to generate quite accurate solutions. The algebraic system of equations is amenable to solution on a computer without excessive numerical difficulties. In the finite element method, the interpolating functions are taken to be piecewise polynomials. However, there is a large amount of freedom left in the solution of what types of piecewise polynomials one uses. In particular, the degree of polynomials used and the types of continuity conditions imposed determine different interpolants. For neutron diffusion problems, the distribution functions are characterized by flux and current conditions at the edges of regions.
THE ETIOLOGY AND TREATMENT OF CONGENITAL DISLOCATION OF THE KNEE

Five knees with congenital dislocation were explored. The cruciate ligaments were found to be absent or hypoplastic. The results obtained by reconstructing an anterior cruciate ligament appear to be good. On the basis of dissections of foetal knees we believe that the cruciate ligaments are the main structures preventing an anterior dislocation of the knee in early foetal life; this deviation from the adult pattern is due to the bony configuration of the foetal knee. We therefore postulate that the basic defect in congenital dislocation of the knee is an absence or hypoplasia of the cruciate ligaments.
Multiscale Kinematic Simulations of the Stratified Surface Layer and interactions with wind turbine arrays

A systematic development of novel multi-scale simulations based on a fundamental multi-scale representation of turbulence in a stratified surface layer is described. By coupling with appropriate wake models, the simulation framework is applied to study wake interactions in a realistic wind farm layout. This coupling also enables modeling wake meandering under conditions of atmospheric stratification, and the obtained wake excursions show good agreement with predictions using Actuator-Disk LES. Some preliminary validation of the method is conducted using existing open-source higher fidelity LES results and field measurements. Both power and fatigue estimates obtained using the Kinematic Simulation framework show good qualitative and quantitative agreement with previously reported findings.
A Case for Great Books in Management Education

This article stresses the need to include the study of great books in the business education curriculum. Even in the electronic age, it is hard to image life or the academic enterprise without book...
Physical interactions between activated microglia and injured axons: do all contacts lead to phagocytosis?

Axonal injury is a pathological hallmark of both head injury and inflammatory-mediated neurological disorders, including multiple sclerosis (Schirmer et al., 2013). Such axonal disruptions and/or disconnections typically result in proximal axonal segments that remain in continuity with the neuronal soma while losing contact with their distal targets. These disconnected axonal segments contribute to loss of signal transduction and overall circuit disruption, via subsequent deafferentation. Due to the disruption of anterograde transport in this cohort of axons, immunolabeling of the normally transported protein, amyloid precursor protein (APP), in post-mortem brain tissue is the most commonly used method for the visualization of the swollen end of proximal axonal segments. While proximal axonal segments remain connected to the neuronal cell body, axonal segments distal to the point of injury progress to anterograde Wallerian degeneration, forming myelin and axonal debris that negatively affect the surrounding tissue (Vargas and Barres, 2007; Mietto et al., 2015).
A comparison of automated dispensing cabinet optimization methods

Purpose Results of a study comparing two methods of optimizing automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs) are reported. Methods Eight nonprofiled ADCs were optimized over six months. Optimization of each cabinet involved three steps: (1) removal of medications that had not been dispensed for at least 180 days, (2) movement of ADC stock to better suit end-user needs and available space, and (3) adjustment of par levels (desired on-hand inventory levels). The par levels of four ADCs (the Day Supply group) were adjusted according to average daily usage; the par levels of the other four ADCs (the Formula group) were adjusted using a standard inventory formula. The primary outcome was the vend:fill ratio, while secondary outcomes included total inventory, inventory cost, quantity of expired medications, and ADC stockout percentage. Results The total number of medications stocked in the eight machines was reduced from 1,273 in a designated two-month preoptimization period to 1,182 in a designated two-month postoptimization period, yielding a carrying cost savings of $44,981. The mean vend:fill ratios before and after optimization were 4.43 and 4.46, respectively. The vend:fill ratio for ADCs in the Formula group increased from 4.33 before optimization to 5.2 after optimization; in the Day Supply group, the ratio declined (from 4.52 to 3.90). The postoptimization interaction difference between the Formula and Day Supply groups was found to be significant ( p = 0.0477). Conclusion ADC optimization via a standard inventory formula had a positive impact on inventory costs, refills, vend:fill ratios, and stockout percentages.
The Origin of Love: Ovidian Lovesickness and Trauma in Venus and Adonis

During the infamous War of the Theatres (or Poetomachia), Ben Jonson lampooned writers who had affiliated themselves with the Ovid movement of the 1590s in his satirical Poetaster (first performed in 1601). In this comedy, Jonson directly pokes fun at fellow dramatists John Marston and Thomas Dekker and indirectly criticizes Ovidian poet- playwrights Marlowe and Shakespeare by staging a showdown between Ovid and Virgil, moderated by Horace (most likely representing Jonson himself) and judged by the Emperor Augustus. In dramatizing his own biased view of these ancient writers and the traditions they represented in his time, Jonson portrays Ovid as a melancholy lover who recites from a marginally altered version of Marlowe’s translation of Ovid’s Amores, elegy 1.15 (Poet., 1.1.1–2)1 and swoons for love of Augustus’s married daughter Julia, and as a radical poet who pursues poetry against his father’s wishes for him to study law. Ovid, Julia, and his followers are banished from court, even though Horace defends their ‘pleasures’ as ‘harmless’ enough, just ‘innocent mirth’, in a transparently back-handed defense of Ovid and hence Ovidian poets (4.8.12–13).2
Addressing human factors gaps in cyber defense

Cyber security is a high-ranking national priority that is only likely to grow as we become more dependent on cyber systems. From a research perspective, currently available work often focuses sole...
A stratified analysis of the ICT-based communicative practices and networks of migrant women

This paper reports on a study of 60 women migrants in the US and their information and communication technology (ICT) based communication practices within their networks. Drawing on transnational feminist theory and the extended case method, differences amongst the participants emerged. Those participants who migrated with abundant human, social and cultural capital reserves used their greater online presence, technological resources, and digital aptitudes to connect to their families from a far through ICTs, which had the effect of widening their networks. Their intensive and widespread use of ICTs with family and friends fueled their aspirations to move onwards or return to their countries with greater leverage. Those participants with marginal levels were not online and they used domestic landlines to contact their away-families. They connected more with local co-ethnics and institutions on a face-to-face basis, thereby strengthening their community bonds. They concentrated their few resources on makin...
Myeloablative Chemotherapy for T-Cell Lymphoma: a Case for Autologous Stem Cell Transplantatin (Auto) in First Remission.

Abstract In order to determine the long-term impact of AUTO in patients (pts) with T-cell lymphoma, we examined the outcome of 79 pts transplanted at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, in first partial or complete remission (CR) (AUTO1, n=20) or for relapsed / refractory disease (AUTO2, n=59) between 06/91 and 05/08. >> Median age (range) at transplantation was 49 (22–65) and 51 (16–77) for the AUTO1 and AUTO2 groups respectively (p=0.35); other baseline characteristics including gender, stage, B-symptoms, LDH, IPI, PET/Gallium status, history of marrow involvement, and performance status at transplantation were similar. There was a statistically significant difference between AUTO1 and AUTO2 with respect to histology {peripheral t-cell, angioimmunoblatic, and anaplastic/large cell were present in 80%, 5%, 15%, respectively in AUTO1, and 42%, 10%, and 45%, respectively in AUTO2 (p=0.02); one pt in AUTO2 had small lymphocytic and one had hepatosplenic T cell lymphoma}. Statistically significant differences were also noted with respect to B2-microglobulin (P=0.02; favoring AUTO1), number of prior chemotherapy regimens received {median 1 vs 3 for AUTO1 and AUTO2, respectively (p >> Autologous transplantation has the potential to cure a proportion of pts with t-cell lymphoma if performed during the first remission. Alternative strategies are needed for pts transplanted beyond first remission especially if they continue to have avid functional imaging at transplantation. Download : Download high-res image (67KB) Download : Download full-size image
Mothers’ gardens in arid soil: A study of religious and spiritual coping among marginalized U.S. mothers with depression

This article reports on a qualitative, interview-based study about religious and spiritual coping among economically and racially marginalized U.S. mothers with depression. The study aimed to under...
Treating erectile dysfunction with external vacuum devices: impact upon sexual, psychological and marital functioning

We evaluated prospectively the medical, sexual and psychosocial outcome of external vacuum devices in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. A total of 29 men regularly used such a device for 6 months and reported statistically significant improvements in erectile quality, frequency of intercourse attempts, frequency of orgasm and sexual satisfaction, as well as decreased psychiatric symptomatology, increased self-esteem and a trend toward improved marital satisfaction. Of the partners 18 reported improved sexual functioning, including increased frequency of orgasm, decreased masturbation and greater sexual satisfaction, with no changes in psychosocial parameters. The vacuum device was effective in producing erections in 89% of the men. Dropout, only 19% within 6 months, was primarily due to insufficient or pivoting erections and bruising. The most frequent adverse effects were blocked ejaculation and physical discomfort. Vacuum devices appear to provide a safe, effective, inexpensive, noninvasive treatment for erectile failure that enjoys high patient and partner acceptance.
Lexical Meaning in Context: Modification, Coercion, and Loose Talk

The previous chapters investigated coercions that have received attention in the literature—coercions by nouns on their adjectival modifiers and coercions by verbal predicates on their arguments. There are also interesting coercions, however, that result from combining two nouns in a noun–noun compound or in certain cases from combining a noun with an adjective. These have received less attention but they tell us much about coercion. For instance, adjectives that constrain the denotations of the nouns they modify to be made out of a certain kind of matter or nouns denoting material that compound with other nouns, what I'll call material modifiers have a coercive function. These have been discussed in the literature, but there are other kinds of adjectives that are also coercers but less studied. I will give an overview of these here. My analysis of the coercive function of adjectives will lead us to study what might be in fact another form of predication—-the predication the occurs in so called “loose talk.” Loose talk is a very common phenomenon but also very puzzling; it occurs when we predicate properties of objects that they only have in some approximate or “loose” sense. What that sense is, I'll explain presently.
The Suez Canal Since 1956: The Nationalized Canal

The Presidential Decree of July 26, 1956, provided in its Article 1 that “The Universal Company of the Suez Maritime Canal (Egyptian joint-stock company) is hereby nationalized. All its assets, rights and obligations are transferred to the Nation and all the organizations and committees that now operate its management are hereby dissolved. “Stockholders and holders of founders’ shares shall be compensated for the ordinary or founders shares they own in accordance with the value of the shares shown in the closing quotations of the Paris Stock Exchange on the day preceding the effective date of the present law.”1
Parameterization-invariant shape statistics and probabilistic classification of anatomical surfaces

We consider the task of computing shape statistics and classification of 3D anatomical structures (as continuous, parameterized surfaces). This requires a Riemannian metric that allows re-parameterizations of surfaces by isometries, and computations of geodesics. This allows computing Karcher means and covariances of surfaces, which involves optimal re-parameterizations of surfaces and results in a superior alignment of geometric features across surfaces. The resulting means and covariances are better representatives of the original data and lead to parsimonious shape models. These two moments specify a normal probability model on shape classes, which are used for classifying test shapes into control and disease groups.We demonstrate the success of this model through improved random sampling and a higher classification performance. We study brain structures and present classification results for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Using the mean and covariance structure of the data, we are able to attain an 88% classification rate.
Pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoides) soil disturbance peaks at mid-elevation and is associated with air temperature, forb cover, and plant diversity

ABSTRACTBurrowing mammals can be ecosystem engineers by increasing soil aeration and erosion and altering the structure of plant communities. Studies that characterize the constraints on the distributions of fossorial mammal disturbances to soil can help predict changes in ecosystem engineering under future climates. We quantified the density of soil disturbances caused by Thomomys talpoides (northern pocket gopher) over replicate elevation gradients spanning 2,700–4,000 m a.s.l. in the Upper Gunnison Basin, Colorado, USA. As a conceptual framework for predicting biogeographic variation in soil disturbance, we used the abundant center hypothesis (ACH), which proposes that species abundance declines monotonically away from the most abundant location in its distribution, with the assumption that ecosystem engineering scales with gopher abundance. We also evaluated the relative importance of abiotic and biotic variables as correlates of soil disturbance. Gopher disturbance peaked at mid elevations (~3,150 m)...
Using spatiotemporal models to generate synthetic data for public use.

Abstract Summary. When agencies release public-use data, they must be cognizant of the potential risk of disclosure associated with making their data publicly available. This issue is particularly pertinent in disease mapping, where small counts pose both inferential challenges and potential disclosure risks. While the small area estimation, disease mapping, and statistical disclosure limitation literatures are individually robust, there have been few intersections between them. Here, we formally propose the use of spatiotemporal data analysis methods to generate synthetic data for public use. Specifically, we analyze ten years of county-level heart disease death counts for multiple age-groups using a Bayesian model that accounts for dependence spatially, temporally, and between age-groups; generating synthetic data from the resulting posterior predictive distribution will preserve these dependencies. After demonstrating the synthetic data’s privacy-preserving features, we illustrate their utility by comparing estimates of urban/rural disparities from the synthetic data to those from data with small counts suppressed.
Development and characterization of hot-pressed matrices for engineered ceramic matrix composites (E-CMCs)

The present research effort was undertaken to develop a new generation of SiC fiber-reinforced engineered ceramic matrix composites (E-CMCs). In contrast to traditional CMCs with a brittle SiC matrix, an E-CMC is designed to consist of a matrix engineered to possess sufficient high temperature plasticity to minimize crack propagation, relatively high fracture toughness, and self-healing capabilities to prevent oxygen ingress to the BN-coated fibers through surface-connected cracks. The present paper discusses the bend strength, isothermal oxidation, microstructures and self-healing properties of several silicide-behaved engineered matrices. Based on the oxidation tests, where it was observed that some of the matrices exhibited either catastrophic oxidation ("pesting") or spalling of the oxide scale, two engineered matrices, CrSi2/SiC/Si3N4 and CrMoSi/SiC/Si3N4, were down-selected for further investigation. Four-point bend tests were conducted on these two engineered matrices between room temperature and 1698 degrees Kelvin. Although these matrices were brittle at low temperatures, it was observed that the bend strengths and bend ductility increased at high temperatures as the silicide particles became more ductile, which was qualitatively consistent with the theoretically expected behavior that crack blunting at these particles should increase the matrix strength. Additional studies were conducted to study the effects of different additives on the self-healing properties of the engineered matrices, which helped to identify the most effective additives.
Resilience of benthic macroinvertebrates to extreme floods in a Catskill Mountain river, New York, USA: Implications for water quality monitoring and assessment

Abstract Changes in the timing, magnitude, frequency, and duration of extreme hydrologic events are becoming apparent and could disrupt species assemblages and stream ecosystems across the Northeastern United States. Between August 28 and 29 of 2011, an average of 31 cm of rain from Tropical Storm Irene fell across Eastern New York State in less than 24 h and caused historic flooding in numerous streams of the Catskill Mountain Region. Peak discharges exceeded the 0.01 annual exceedance probability (>100 year flood) in many Catskill Mountain streams. Approximately one week later, the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee deposited another 19 cm of rain onto saturated soils and caused additional flooding. Data from annual benthic macroinvertebrate surveys completed at 5 sites in the Upper Esopus Creek, a premier trout stream in the region, during August 2009–2011 (before the floods) were compared to data collected from the same sites in September 2011, November 2011, March 2012 and August 2012 (after the floods). The impact, rate of recovery and the factors which might affect the resilience of benthic macroinvertebrate communities were evaluated. The results of biological water quality assessment metrics immediately after the floods resembled those of highly polluted waters, yet severe floods were the only disturbance. Prior to the floods, standard biological assessment metrics showed that communities were not impacted and water quality was pristine. A large decrease in macroinvertebrate density was evident in the September 2011 surveys following the floods and bioassessment metrics reflected highly degraded water quality conditions. Most community metrics rebounded in 3–7 months (November 2011 and March 2012), and full recovery was evident in 12 months (August 2012) which suggests that macroinvertebrate assemblages are relatively resilient to the effects of extreme floods in these low-order streams. Therefore, macroinvertebrate samples collected from a flood-impacted stream before full recovery occurs might reflect loss of diversity and abundance from the flood disturbance and incorrectly attribute the impact to impaired water quality. The strong short-term impacts and the relatively rapid recovery of macroinvertebrate communities following catastrophic floods have important ramifications for routine bioassessment programs considering changing hydrologic regimes in streams across the Northeast and elsewhere.
Deep Learning for Talker-Dependent Reverberant Speaker Separation: An Empirical Study

Speaker separation refers to the problem of separating speech signals from a mixture of simultaneous speakers. Previous studies are limited to addressing the speaker separation problem in anechoic conditions. This paper addresses the problem of talker-dependent speaker separation in reverberant conditions, which are characteristic of real-world environments. We employ recurrent neural networks with bidirectional long short-term memory BLSTM to separate and dereverberate the target speech signal. We propose two-stage networks to effectively deal with both speaker separation and speech dereverberation. In the two-stage model, the first stage separates and dereverberates two-talker mixtures and the second stage further enhances the separated target signal. We have extensively evaluated the two-stage architecture, and our empirical results demonstrate large improvements over unprocessed mixtures and clear performance gain over single-stage networks in a wide range of target-to-interferer ratios and reverberation times in simulated as well as recorded rooms. Moreover, we show that time-frequency masking yields better performance than spectral mapping for reverberant speaker separation.
Immunohistochemical Localization of G-Proteins in Mouse Taste Buds

Taste is a specialized sensory system that provides us with an important screening ability to choose between useful or harmful compounds. Of particular importance is bitter taste for its low detection threshold and importance in screening potentially toxic compounds. Bitter taste is thought to be transduced by several mechanisms, including mediation through specific receptors for certain compounds [1]. One such substance is the bitter stimulant sucrose octaacetate (SOA) that interacts with a putative SOA-receptor in mouse taste tissue. This receptor is thought to be coupled to a GTP-binding regulatory protein. Receptor-mediated signal transduction in a variety of cells is facilitated by such G-proteins. Some G-proteins, in turn, stimulate a membrane-associated enzyme, phospholipase C, generating the second messenger inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) [2]. At least 20 different G-proteins have been identified so far, including those specific to olfaction (Golf) and taste (gustducin) [3,4]. This diversity demonstrates the importance of unique G-proteins in signal processing. Sweet and some bitter compounds have also been proposed to be G-protein mediated [1,5]. However, the cellular location and specific function of these and other G-proteins in mouse taste tissue are not known. The purpose of this investigation was to identify the cellular localization and relative abundance of various G-protein alpha subunits in mouse taste tissue.
Simplification of complex fracture morphology and its impact on production

Significant amounts of oil and natural gas in the USA are produced from fractured reservoirs. Fracture morphology and effectiveness of fracturing job depend on various factors such as geological properties (permeability, porosity, and heterogeneity), mechanical properties (Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, stress anisotropy, maximum horizontal stress) and fracturing operational parameters (fluid injection rate, fluid viscosity). Reservoir engineer's job is to import the fracture geometry into reservoir flow simulator in order to forecast the production of hydrocarbons to evaluate a play's potential. In this research, various issues related to simplification of rigorously-generated fractures are investigated. A systematic approach including practical flow consideration in hydraulic fracture with heterogeneous permeability and width along the length is developed. The complex fractures morphology is simplified in two proposed models with mathematical formulations. Simplified models show promising alternatives in rapid forecasting of production of hydrocarbon without losing the characteristic of fracture properties like complex morphology and bottleneck. Oil recovery, cumulative gas oil ratio (GOR), oil rate and average reservoir pressure are compared with results from complex fracture morphology. One field case is used to demonstrate the validity of the method. [Received: May 9, 2017; Accepted: March 23, 2018]
Photodegradation studies of semi-conductive polymers using plasmonics

Organic semi-conductors are widely used in the development and manufacturing of certain optoelectronics. However, these materials are susceptible to photodegradation in the presence of oxygen. This is due to a polymer’s populated triplet state creating singlet oxygen. In recent years, the use of plasmonic metal nanoparticles in the polymer systems or deposited on a substrate, have yielded polymer films that degrade much slower than films with the polymer alone, as long as there is good overlap with the plasmon of the metal and the emission of the polymer. Since this overlap is crucial, tunability of the plasmon is essential to “fit” various polymer systems. The research presented here provides methodology for the facile manufacturing and tuning of metal deposits for such purposes. Not only this, but through increasing the tunability of these plasmons we are able to better image various emissive pathways and species better in a polymer system deposited on film.
Weight-Talk Between Parents and Adolescents: A Systematic Review of Relationships with Health-Related and Psychosocial Outcomes

Research findings suggest parent weight-talk is associated with negative health outcomes among youth, and weight must be discussed with caution. Yet, it remains unclear the extent to which different approaches to weight-talk affect different health-related outcomes. The objective of this systematic review is to characterize varying parent weight-talk approaches with respect to adolescent health-related and psychosocial outcomes and to identify methodological shortcomings in this body of literature. Included articles were published between January 2010 and January 2020, included adolescents ages 11–18, addressed weight-talk between parents and adolescents, and excluded clinical populations (e.g., eating disorder diagnosis, bariatric and/or diabetic population). A systematic search of three databases and a hand search of two peer-reviewed journals resulted in 16 articles meeting inclusion criteria. While findings remain preliminary, the research indicates that overall health-based conversations are more productive and cause less harmful consequences than overt conversations about adolescent weight. The findings also demonstrate that research lacks dyadic data between parents and adolescents for weight-talk, fathers are underrepresented in this research, and adolescent preferences/perceptions of comments and discussions with parents remain unknown. More research is needed to examine different types of weight-talk between parents and adolescents and health outcomes associated with engaging in such conversations and/or comments.
Pancreatic cancer presenting with pulmonary cannonball lesions.

Abstract Cannonball lesions are numerous, well-circumscribed, round pulmonary lesions and may be identified on plain radiograph or advanced imaging. This morphology can be associated with infectious causes, rheumatologic disease and metastatic disease. Classically, when cannonball lesions are associated with metastatic disease, they are seen in renal cell carcinoma and choriocarcinoma. We report a case of a 62-year-old Middle Eastern male who presented with shortness of breath, chest pain and fatigue and was found to have bilateral multiple pulmonary cannonball lesions and mass in the pancreas. Biopsy of one the lung lesions was consistent with pancreatic cancer. Our case adds to the limited literature available regarding cannonball lung lesions in the setting of pancreatic cancer. Health care providers should be aware of the various etiologies of cannonball lesions.
Leveraging Marine Natural Products as a Platform to Tackle Bacterial Resistance and Persistence.

ConspectusAntimicrobial resistance to existing antibiotics represents one of the greatest threats to human health and is growing at an alarming rate. To further complicate treatment of bacterial in...