cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Global trends in population, energy use and climate: implications for policy development, rangeland management and rangeland users

Increasing world human population, declining reserves of cheaply extracted fossil fuels, scarcity of supplies of fresh water and climatic instability will put tremendous pressure on world rangelands as the 21st century progresses. It is expected that the human population of the world will increase by 40% by 2050 but fossil fuel and reserves of fresh water will be drastically reduced. Avoiding food shortages and famine could be a major world challenge within the next 10 years. Under these conditions, major changes in policies relating to economic growth and use of natural resources seem essential. Stabilisation of the human population, development of clean and renewable energy, enhanced supplies of water and its quality, increased livestock production, and changed land-use policies, that minimise agricultural land losses to development and fragmentation, will all be needed to avoid declining living conditions at the global level. The health and productivity of rangelands will need to receive much more emphasis as they are a primary source of vital ecosystem services and products essential to human life. Changes in tax policies by developed, affluent countries, such as the United States, Australia and Canada, are needed that emphasise saving and conservation as opposed to excessive material consumption and land development. Extreme levels of debt and chronic deficits in trade by the United States and European Union countries need to be moderated to avoid a devastating collision of debt, depletion of natural resources, and environmental degradation. Over the next 10 years, livestock producers of the rangelands will benefit from a major increase in demand and prices for meat. Rapidly increasing demand for meat in China and other Asian countries is driving this trend. Rangeland managers, however, will also likely encounter greater climatic, financial, biological and political risks. Higher interest rates, higher production costs and higher annual variability in forage resources are major challenges that will confront rangeland managers in the years ahead. Under these conditions, a low risk approach to livestock production from rangelands is recommended that involves conservative stocking, use of highly adapted livestock, and application of behavioural knowledge of livestock to efficiently use forage resources.
The properties and applications of single-molecule DNA sequencing

Single-molecule sequencing enables DNA or RNA to be sequenced directly from biological samples, making it well-suited for diagnostic and clinical applications. Here we review the properties and applications of this rapidly evolving and promising technology.
An investigation of Facebook boredom phenomenon among college students

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to provide an initial understanding of the factors influencing and emanating from Facebook boredom. Specifically, the study addresses important issues such as reasons for liking and disliking Facebook, Facebook users’ boredom states with this social networking site, factors associated with Facebook boredom and impact of boredom on the success and effectiveness of social marketing activities. Design/methodology/approach – A paper and pencil questionnaire was administered to undergraduate students at two local universities in exchange for course credit. Survey questions were adapted from previously validated scales, and measurement adaptations were minimal and only related to the context of questions to assure their relevance with the context of our study. Bootstrapping technique, Sobel test, ANOVA and regression techniques were used to test the hypotheses and address research questions. Findings – The results indicate that both genders are experiencing Facebook boredom...
Parametric Downconversion II — The Twins Grow Up

I present a personal account of the research and activities of Leonard Mandel and his students in the 1990’s. In that final decade, Professor Mandel’s group expanded the use of parametric downconversion to explore the foundations of quantum mechanics, building upon the techniques which he had pioneered in the 1980’s. The investigations of the operational quantum phase reached their conclusion, and experiments continued in atomic resonance fluorescence. At the end of the decade, new collaborations led to experiments in spin squeezing, homodyne detection, and pulsed downconversion.
The Role of Personal Experience in Overcoming Gender Stereotypes

This paper explores how personal experience can affect perceptions of the magnitude and self-relevance of domain-specific gender stereotypes. I experimentally manipulate the difficulty of a female-stereotyped domain encounter (childcare) and a male-stereotyped domain encounter (sports) to lead participants to experience either high or low success. I then measure how these different experiences of success affect women’s and men’s expectations of their own and others’ competence. The results indicate that, compared to a stereotype-affirming experience, a counter-stereotypical experience (high success in a domain stereotyped to favor the other gender, or low success in a domain stereotyped to favor one’s own gender) leads participants to view themselves as exceptions to the stereotype: they perceive their own performance to be closer to that of the opposite gender and farther from their own gender. In addition, when the counter-stereotypical experience is positive (high success), the perceived magnitude of the stereotype is reduced in that participants expect the difference between women’s and men’s performances to be smaller than participants who have a stereotype-affirming experience in the same domain. Thus, a counter-stereotypical positive personal experience helps reduce the stereotype.
Jehoahaz, King of Israel according to Josephus

The summary Biblical treatment of king Jehoahaz of Israel in 2 Kgs 13,1-9 (+ 22-23) poses a variety of problems: textual, chronological, redactional and compositional. This essay provides a detailed comparison of Josephus' account of Jehoahaz in Ant. 9.173-176 with its Biblical source. The comparison aims to see what can be determined concerning, e.g., the text- form(-s) of 2 Kgs 13 available to Josephus, his handling of the problems presented by the Biblical treatment of Jehoahaz and his own personal contributions in his retelling of that king's story.
Circular reasoning

The author discusses two interesting relationships between circles and lines. There should be a computer graphics application that can use the first topic to run faster or better. The second topic is Ptolemy's Theorem, which is a generalization of the triangle inequality. The author shows how it can be used to derive the angle addition formulas. He considers how Ptolemy's Theorem can be used to prove that Snell's Law and Fermat's Principle of Least Time both lead to the same geometry of refraction.
Using Oroonoko to Teach the Corrosive Effects of Racism

Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko offers the reader a rich set of examples illustrating the complexities of interracial relationships. Throughout the work, the imperatives of slave society clash with the human desire for friendship, resulting in a series of untenable contradictions for the characters involved. When people, even those of good will, are participants in and beneficiaries of systems that victimize others, they find their friendships complicated and compromised. The work is a powerful text for teaching the conflicting dynamics of race relations in our own times. By having students order the characters in power ranking, plot a power grid of shifting alliances, and carefully examine moral dilemmas faced by the characters, the teacher can get them to see the contortions caused by prejudice and clashing economic interests. Teaching Oroonoko in the safe confines of a literature classroom can also give students training and practice in how to have conversations about race, a skill which they can put to good use when they enter broader society.
Impact of antenatal corticosteroid therapy in very low birth weight infants on chronic lung disease and other morbidities of prematurity.

OBJECTIVE To assess the effect of antenatal corticosteroids on very low birth weight (VLBW) infants through 36 weeks' postconceptional age. STUDY DESIGN Data were collected prospectively on all VLBW (< or = 1500 gm) infants (n = 670) admitted to a single newborn intensive care unit from 1991 to 1996. Mortality rate and the frequency of medical morbidities attributable to prematurity were compared between VLBW infants who received antenatal corticosteroid therapy and those who did not. RESULTS Antenatal steroid therapy was associated with a significantly lower rate of mortality (p = 0.02) and of mortality due to respiratory causes (p = 0.01). Although the frequency of chronic lung disease (oxygen requirement at 36 weeks' postconceptional age) was not significantly different between the groups (p = 0.48), the frequency of infants surviving without chronic lung disease was significantly greater in the steroid-exposed group (p = 0.02). There were no significant differences between the groups in the frequency of sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis, length of hospital stay, or retinopathy of prematurity requiring surgery. CONCLUSION In our study, antenatal corticosteroid therapy was associated with a beneficial effect on mortality and respiratory morbidity for VLBW infants and was not associated with any known increased risks.
Years of Infamy: The Untold Story of America's Concentration Camps. Ry Michi Nishiura Waglyn (New York: Morrow, 1971)

Four months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, all Japanese-Americans, whether first, second, or third generation, whether alien or American born, were evacuated to relocation camps. Thus, over 110,000 people, the majority children or young adults, were forced to abandon their homes with frequently less than forty-eight hours to pack and to move. Some left crops growing in the fields; merchants had to sell businesses for a fraction of their worth.
Research on partial discharge location method based on PRPD statistic parameters of ultra-high frequency

According to the problem of calculating the time difference of arrival( TDOA) based on ultrahigh frequency( UHF) partial discharge( PD) location,a new method for UHF partial discharge localization was introduced which is not based on the TDOA. Tow typical PD model in power transformer and experimental system were established,and these phase resolved partial discharge pattern( PRPD) data from typical UHF partial discharge at different detection distances were obtained. Based on the relationship between the statistical parameters of PRPD and detection distance,multivariate nonlinear regression was adopted to build a function to detect the distance using the statistical parameters,which was used to calculate unknown detection distance using statistical parameters. Experimental data was processed to verify the validity of the method and the result shows that the accuracy of the detection distance calculated is less than 40 cm.
INVESTIGATION ON DISINFECTION STATUS OF COUNTY AND LOWER LEVEL MEDICAL INSTITUTES

Objective To know the disinfection quality of county and lower level medical institutes in Heshui county,and to strengthen nosocomial disinfection control.Methods Field sampling detection and investigation were used to surveillance the disinfection quality of different level medical institutes.Results There are 1 031 samples of 127 county,downtown and village medical institutes collected.The overall qualify rate was 75.79%.The highest qualify rate was disinfectant in using,which was 93.04%.The lowest was UV light,which was 54.46%.The qualify rate of different level medical institutes were different,from high to low were county,downtown and village.Conclusion The disinfection quality of county and lower level medical institutes was low.It should to be improved.
Analysis of disinfection quality of medical institutions in Tongliang County from 2005 to 2007

Objective To investigate the disinfection quality of medical institutions in Tongliang County,so as to prevent and control the nosocomial infection.Methods According to"Disinfect Technical Specification"and"Hospital Disinfection Health Standard"published by Ministry of Public Health,we carried on sampling at workplace and monitoring the disinfection effect of all medical institutions in Tongliang from 2005 to 2007.Results Totally 242 medical institutions were monitored.6 296 samples were collected from the medical institutions,in which 5 130 samples were eligible,and the total qualified rate was 81.5%.The annual qualified rate for disinfection quality from 2005 to 2007 was 76.3%,87.8%,81.8%,respectively.The qualified rate of 2007 was significantly higher than that of 2005(P0.05).The qualified rate of county hospitals,village and township hospitals was higher than that of village health stations/rooms(P0.05).As for different detected objects,the qualified rate of object surface and dis- infector was the highest(90.5%),followed by air(72.4%)and the glutaraldehyde solution(64.5%).Conclusion The qualified rate of the glutaraldehyde solution and air of medical institutions in Tongliang is very lower;the disinfection quality of village and township hospitals should be strengthened.The disinfection of medical institutions should be monitored and supervised strictly.
Communication Across the Divide in the Cyprus Conflict

Broome and Anastasiou provide details and insights into the causes and consequences of interethnic conflict in Cyprus by examining both historical and recent events. Attention is given to efforts over the years to bring about peaceful resolution. While results to negotiate a settlement have been not resulted in a successful agreement, encouragement may be found in the ongoing activities of civil-society groups that are actively working to promote contact and build understanding among people from across Cypriot society.
Treatment of Epilepsy in the Elderly

The treatment of epilepsy in older individuals is an increasingly important topic in neurology and an area that all treating neurologists should have familiarity with. As the population ages, the number of patients over 65 who present with new-onset epilepsy will increase, as will the complexity of their comorbid medical and neurological disorders. In older patients, seizures are often unwitnessed, or present with atypical symptoms, making the diagnosis more challenging. Additionally, there are relatively limited data to guide the use of anti-epileptic medications and other treatments in this patient population. Elderly patients may experience increased side effects from anti-epileptic drugs compared with younger patients and in general, are likely to have a narrower therapeutic window and greater degree of individual variation with respect to side effects. Familiarity with anti-epileptic medication dosing and titration schedules, possible adverse effects, and potential pharmacokinetic and drug interactions can be helpful when considering treatment options and may increase the likelihood of success.
Video Streaming with Interactive Pan/Tilt/Zoom

High-spatial-resolution videos offer the possibility of viewing an arbitrary region-of-interest (RoI) interactively. The user can pan/tilt/zoom while watching the video. This chapter presents spatial-random-access-enabled video compression that encodes the content such that arbitrary RoIs corresponding to different zoom factors can be extracted from the compressed bit-stream. The chapter also covers RoI trajectory prediction, which allows pre-fetching relevant content in a streaming scenario. The more accurate the prediction the lower is the percentage of missing pixels. RoI prediction techniques can perform better by adapting according to the video content in addition to simply extrapolating previous moves of the input device. Finally, the chapter presents a streaming system that employs application-layer peer-to-peer (P2P) multicast while still allowing the users to freely choose individual RoIs. The P2P overlay adapts on-the-fly for exploiting the commonalities in the peers’ RoIs. This enables peers to relay data to each other in real-time, thus drastically reducing the bandwidth required from dedicated servers.
The Influence of Posture on Taste: An Abstract

Sometimes, consumers eat while sitting down (e.g., at restaurants, on the couch). However, at other times consumers eat while standing (e.g., at cocktail parties). Would eating the same food while sitting (vs. standing) influence the perceived taste of the food? That is, how does posture influence taste evaluations?
Feasibility of a Modified Ride-on Car Intervention on Play Behaviors during an Inclusive Playgroup.

Aims: Children with mobility related disabilities often experience limited participation and access to social interactions. An emerging pediatric powered mobility device are modified ride-on cars t...
Treatment of iatrogenic vascular injuries

The first descriptions of iatrogenic vascular injuries were made by William Hunter1,2. The injuries described were caused by barbers performing therapeutic phlebotomy and occurred between the brachial artery and vein. Any artery or vein may be injured by a therapeutic procedure. Vascular injuries may cause haemorrhage or thrombosis, a false or dissecting aneurysm, or an arteriovenous fistula. The most common causes of vascular injuries today are cardiac catheterization, invasive angiography, invasive monitoring devices, intra-aortic balloon pumps, umbilical artery catheters in neonates and various surgical procedures3. Since these injuries occur in a hospital or doctor’s surgery they should be promptly recognized and treated to minimize serious potential sequelae.
Nanochromatography—Concluding Account

Abstract Nanochromatography is the inclusion of nanomaterials in chromatographic techniques. The transition to nanoscale leads to change in the enhanced adsorption and desorption properties of chromatographic phases. Additionally, nanomaterials are versatile materials for functionalization, which can alter their properties to a desired state. This chapter comprises of an introduction to nanochromatography, a summary of the entire book, a brief description of economic challenges, and a conclusion.
Advanced eager scheduling for Java-based adaptive parallel computing: Research Articles

Javelin 3 is a software system for developing large-scale, fault-tolerant, adaptively parallel applications. When all or part of their application can be cast as a master–worker or branch-and-bound computation, Javelin 3 frees application developers from concerns about inter-processor communication and fault tolerance among networked hosts, allowing them to focus on the underlying application. The paper describes a fault-tolerant task scheduler and its performance analysis. The task scheduler integrates work stealing with an advanced form of eager scheduling. It enables dynamic task decomposition, which improves host load-balancing in the presence of tasks whose non-uniform computational load is evident only at execution time. Speedup measurements are presented of actual performance on up to 1000 hosts. We analyze the expected performance degradation due to unresponsive hosts, and measure actual performance degradation due to unresponsive hosts. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Multifaceted yrast structure and the onset of deformation in Sr 96 , 97 and Zr 98 , 99

Neutron-rich $^{96,97}\mathrm{Sr}$ and $^{98,99}\mathrm{Zr}$ nuclei were populated as fission fragments produced by the $^{238}\mathrm{U}(\ensuremath{\alpha},\mathrm{f})$ fusion-fission reaction. The yrast states of these nuclei have been extended up to $\ensuremath{\approx}20\ensuremath{\hbar}$, which is about $6\ensuremath{\hbar}$ on average beyond the previously known spin, by studying the prompt $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\gamma}}$ rays in coincidence with the detection of both fission fragments. This extension allows the observation of yrast states with spins beyond $\ensuremath{\approx}{4}^{+}$ in $^{96}\mathrm{Sr}$ and $^{98}\mathrm{Zr}$ evolving from vibrationlike states to rotationlike states. With an additional neutron, the yrast states with excitation energies above $\ensuremath{\approx}600\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{keV}$ in $^{97}\mathrm{Sr}$ and $^{99}\mathrm{Zr}$ have the characteristics of members of rotationlike bands for both positive- and negative-parity states. However, their underlying single-particle configurations cannot be determined uniquely by the measured intensity ratios of $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}\mathrm{I}=1$ to $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}\mathrm{I}=2$ transitions because of possible configuration mixing. The sharp variations in the yrast structure of these nuclei are discussed in terms of the gradualness of the onset of quadrupole deformation.
Oil, Water, and Climate: An Introduction: Geopolitics of Water and the International Situation

Water is a potential source of conflicts, but also offers a potential for cooperation in the management of shared resources. The balance between development and environmental protection is often difficult to maintain, and international agencies and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) play an important role in maintaining that balance. There is a growing opposition to large and all-encompassing water initiatives mostly due to their inequitable impacts. Water security is a major issue as is water access, which should probably be treated as a human right. Introduction By 2025, the rate of water withdrawal for most uses (agriculture, domestic, and industrial) is projected to increase by at least 50% from 2000 (Rosegrant, Cal, and Cline, 2002). By 2100, without worldwide improvement in the management of this limited resource, almost all potentially available surface water will have to be used consumptively for some human need. At this predicted high rate of withdrawal, essential irrigation requirements would be severely curtailed, thus constraining global food production. Needless to say, the control of water resources and rivers has the potential to trigger conflicts between neighboring countries. Although nations around the world are currently dividing available water resources peacefully, they are ill prepared to share this resource fairly in the future. Water allocation agreements, where they exist at all, are often many decades old and were concluded in times of relative water abundance. Conflicts may arise between countries and between different users within one country, such as between the hydropower, irrigation, fishing, and recreation industries.
Postoperative feeding problems in patients with tetralogy of Fallot, pulmonary atresia, and major aortopulmonary collaterals undergoing unifocalisation surgery.

Background Patients with tetralogy of Fallot, pulmonary atresia, and major aortopulmonary collaterals are at risk for prolonged hospitalisation after unifocalisation. Feeding problems after congenital heart surgery are associated with longer hospital stay. We sought to determine the impact of baseline, intra-operative, and postoperative factors on the need for feeding tube use at the time of discharge. Methods We included patients with the aforementioned diagnosis undergoing unifocalisation from ages 3 months to 4 years from 2010 to 2016. We excluded patients with a pre-existing feeding tube. Patients discharged with an enteric tube were included in the feeding tube group. We compared the feeding tube group with the non-feeding-tube group by univariable and multi-variable logistic regression. Results Of the 56 patients studied, 41% used tube feeding. Median age and weight z-score were similar in the two groups. A chromosome 22q11 deletion was associated with the need for a feeding tube (22q11 deletion in 39% versus 15%, p=0.05). Median cardiopulmonary bypass time in the feeding tube group was longer (335 versus 244 minutes, p=0.04). Prolonged duration of mechanical ventilation was associated with feeding tube use (48 versus 3%, p=0.001). On multi-variable analysis, prolonged mechanical ventilation was associated with feeding tube use (odds ratio 10.2, 95% confidence intervals 1.6; 63.8). Conclusion Among patients with tetralogy of Fallot, pulmonary atresia, and major aortopulmonary collaterals who were feeding by mouth before surgery, prolonged mechanical ventilation after unifocalisation surgery was associated with feeding tube use at discharge. Anticipation of feeding problems in this population and earlier feeding tube placement may reduce hospital length of stay.
Thermally Induced Magnetic Anisotropy in Nickel Films on Surface Acoustic Wave Devices

The combination of magnetostrictive thin films with surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices enables the magnetic sensors that exploit the AE-effect (magnetically induced change in modulus) without the need for free-standing structures that are susceptible to vibration and damage. The performance of these sensors is strongly influenced by magnetic anisotropy and, therefore, the state of stress in the magnetostrictive film. We report the fabrication and characterization of magnetic SAW devices comprised of a magnetostrictive layer and interdigital transducers on a piezoelectric substrate. The state of stress in the magnetostrictive layer is varied by annealing. Vibrating-sample magnetometer measurements indicate that the annealed devices show a strong uniaxial anisotropy with the easy axis parallel to the direction of acoustic propagation. The induced magnetic anisotropy is attributed to the anisotropic thermal expansion in the substrate. The change in frequency of one-port resonators and two-port SAW oscillators is measured as a function of dc bias field and ambient temperature. The normalized change in frequency (Δf/f sat ) is on the order of 10 -4 . These results demonstrate that the film stress can be used to optimize the performance of magnetic SAW devices and the SAW devices can be used to characterize the state of stress and magnetic anisotropy of magnetostrictive films.
Intracellular Invasion and Killing Assay to Investigate the Effects of Binge Alcohol Toxicity in Murine Alveolar Macrophages

Alcohol consumption has diverse and well-documented effects on the human immune system and its ability to defend against infective agents. While pulmonary related infections can occur in healthy humans, binge alcohol use is recognized as a major health risk factor (Nelson et al., 1991). Although binge alcohol consumption has been considered as a risk factor for the development of pulmonary infections, no experimental studies have investigated the outcomes of a single binge alcohol exposure during infection. A key assay to assess the effects of a single binge alcohol exposure on the interactions between bacteria and alveolar macrophage is a binge alcohol intracellular invasion and killing assay. MH-S alveolar macrophages (AMs) are exposed to a single binge alcohol dose prior to infection for 3 h. The macrophage monolayer is then infected to allow for engulfment, followed by removal of extracellular bacteria to assess the intracellular killing capacity of infected macrophages over time. We have utilized this assay to demonstrate that low alcohol exposure significantly suppressed the uptake and killing of less virulent Burkholderia thailandensis (B. thailandensis) by AMs. More recently we found that activated AMs with interferon (IFN)-γ incubated in alcohol (0.08%) for 3 h prior to infection showed significantly lower bacterial uptake at 2 and 8 h post infection, which lead to B. thailandensis survival and a ~2.5-fold replication increase compared to controls (Jimenez et al., 2017). These results provide insights into binge alcohol consumption, a culturally prevalent risk factor, as a predisposing factor for pulmonary bacterial infections. This assay can be adapted to other bacterial species and host cell types to assess tissue specific effects of alcohol during infection.
Estimating Loads Along Elastic Rods

Mechanics-based models of thin elastic structures are prevalent in robotics research, both in soft/continuum robot modeling, and in robotic manipulation of strings, sutures, needles, and endoscopes. In all these applications, distributed loads along the device’s length can affect its shape in space. Estimation of the distributed loading based on observation of the object’s shape constitutes a classical mechanics inverse problem that would be useful in many applications, but this problem has received relatively little attention to date. In this paper, we propose methods to estimate distributed loads on an elastic rod using a large-deflection Cosserat-rod model and constrained nonlinear optimization. We perform experiments that illustrate the feasibility of using these methods to locate regions of high contact force along the rod, and to estimate magnitudes of the forces that are applied. Results show that overall force magnitudes and locations can be estimated with average error of 0.29 N (6.7% of average resultant magnitude) and 4 mm (2% of rod length) for complex double-bend shapes, and the shape approximation has near-zero error.
Changing Childbearing Norms During an Era of ART Expansion in Malawi, 2009 to 2015

Community norms shape the childbearing goals and behaviors of persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) but little is known about how norms around HIV-positive childbearing have changed with expanded access to antiretroviral treatment (ART). We analyze data collected in 2009 and 2015 by the Tsogolo la Thanzi (TLT) project—a longitudinal, population-based study of young adults in southern Malawi. Respondents were asked about the acceptability of childbearing using vignettes that varied a hypothetical couple’s HIV status and number of children. We assess mean differences in support for childbearing over time and by respondent gender and serostatus. The acceptability of childbearing for PLWHA increased dramatically over the 6-year period; however, support levels varied based on a couple’s current number of children and whether they were seropositive concordant or discordant. Differences in attitudes by gender and HIV status diminished over time, pointing to a population-level convergence in norms about acceptable childbearing.
Short-Term Load Forecasting with LSTM Based Ensemble Learning

In this paper, a short-term load forecasting framework with long short-term memory (LSTM)-based ensemble learning is proposed. To fully exploit the correlation in data for accurate load forecasting, the data is first clustered and each cluster is used to train an LSTM model. Then a Fully Connected Cascade (FCC) Neural Network is incorporated for ensemble learning, which is solved by an enhanced Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) training algorithm. The proposed framework is tested with a public dataset, where its superior performance over several baseline schemes is demonstrated.
Social Media Use, Political Polarization, and Social Capital: Is Social Media Tearing the U.S. Apart?

While some polarization is potentially beneficial for democracy, hyper-polarization can lead to political gridlock, tribalism, and even physical violence. Given the gravity of these concerns, we use data from 1,424 residents of Virginia, USA to investigate if media exposure is related to polarization. We explore if getting news from traditional media (e.g. television, radio, newspapers) or social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, news aggregators) predicts the likelihood of being polarized. Results reveal stark differences between liberals and conservatives. Polarized conservatives use radio talk shows and television for their news while polarized liberals are likely to get their news from newspapers, television, and various social media outlets. We then investigate if polarization influences social capital. We find that polarized conservatives express low levels of bridging capital while polarized liberals are more likely to express high levels of bonding capital. Media consumption also influences bridging and bonding capital. We also find that while being polarized does not predict civic engagement, media consumption does. We consider these results disturbing. At least among the political extremes, conservatives and liberals are informed by different sources. This lack of a shared information results in competing worldviews while providing little opportunity for finding common ground. This combination of high bonding, low bridging capital can explain the recent increase in “lethal partisanship” where groups not only disagree but also accept or even wish harm to their political opponents.
Children's discrete proportional reasoning is related to inhibitory control and enhanced by priming continuous representations.

Abstract Children can successfully compare continuous proportions as early as 4 years of age, yet they struggle to compare discrete proportions at least to 10 years of age, especially when the discrete information is misleading. This study examined whether inhibitory control contributes to individual differences in discrete proportional reasoning and whether reasoning could be enhanced by priming continuous information. A total of 49 second-graders completed two tasks. In the Hearts and Flowers (HF the discrete mixed format interspersed the colored sections from the discrete adjacent conditions. Finally, two priming groups were formed. Children who saw the continuous format immediately before the discrete adjacent format formed the continuous priming group (n = 26). Children who saw the discrete mixed format immediately before the discrete adjacent format formed the discrete priming group (n = 23). Our results showed that children who performed better on the H&F task also had better performance on the discrete counting misleading trials. Furthermore, children in the continuous priming group outperformed children in the discrete priming group, specifically in contexts where discrete information was misleading. These results suggest that children’s proportional reasoning may be improved by fostering continuous representations of discrete stimuli and by enhancing inhibitory control skills.
Boceprevir, calpain inhibitors II and XII, and GC-376 have broad-spectrum antiviral activity against coronaviruses in cell culture

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to fold out, the morbidity and mortality are increasing daily. Effective treatment for SARS-CoV-2 is urgently needed. We recently discovered four SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) inhibitors including boceprevir, calpain inhibitors II and XII and GC-376 with potent antiviral activity against infectious SARS-CoV-2 in cell culture. Despite the weaker enzymatic inhibition of calpain inhibitors II and XII against Mpro compared to GC-376, calpain inhibitors II and XII had more potent cellular antiviral activity. This observation promoted us to hypothesize that the cellular antiviral activity of calpain inhibitors II and XII might also involve the inhibition of cathepsin L in addition to Mpro. To test this hypothesis, we tested calpain inhibitors II and XII in the SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus neutralization assay in Vero E6 cells and found that both compounds significantly decreased pseudoviral particle entry into cells, indicating their role in inhibiting cathepsin L. The involvement of cathepsin L was further confirmed in the drug time-of-addition experiment. In addition, we found that these four compounds not only inhibit SARS-CoV-2, but also SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, as well as human coronaviruses (CoVs) 229E, OC43, and NL63. The mechanism of action is through targeting the viral Mpro, which was supported by the thermal shift binding assay and enzymatic FRET assay. We further showed that these four compounds have additive antiviral effect when combined with remdesivir. Altogether, these results suggest that boceprevir, calpain inhibitors II and XII, and GC-376 are not only promising antiviral drug candidates against existing human coronaviruses, but also might work against future emerging CoVs.
Higher Order Moments of the Cosmic Shear and Other Spin-2 Fields

We present a method for defining higher order moments of a spin-2 field on the sky using the transformation properties of these statistics under rotation and parity. For the three-point function of the cosmic shear, we show that the eight logically possible combinations of the shear in three points can be divided into two classes; four combinations are even under parity transformations, and four are odd. We compute the expected value of the even-parity ones in the nonlinear regime using the halo model and conclude that on small scales, of the four combinations there is one that is expected to carry most of the signal for triangles close to isosceles. On the other hand, for collapsed triangles, all four combinations are expected to have roughly the same level of signal, although some of the combinations are negative and others positive. We estimate that a survey of a few square degrees area is enough to detect this signal above the noise at arcminute scales.
Detection of Environmental Spread of SARS-CoV-2 and Associated Patient Characteristics

Understanding transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 informs infection prevention practices. Air sampling devices were placed in patient hospital rooms for consecutive collections with and without masks. With patient mask use, no virus was detected in the room. High viral load and fewer days from symptom onset were associated with viral particulate dispersion.
Cavitron ultrasonic surgical aspirator for mitral annular decalcification.

Mitral valve surgery can be especially difficult in patients with mitral annular calcification. Not only is it associated with higher morbidity and mortality, but there is no consensus strategy for the treatment of mitral annular calcification, which may render some patients inoperable. We describe a case of severe mitral annular calcification successfully treated with the cavitron ultrasonic surgical aspirator. We demonstrate the proper technique for and the efficacy of using this instrument for decalcification of the mitral annulus. The video tutorial includes the patient presentation, preoperative and postoperative imaging, and the proper surgical technique for cavitron ultrasonic surgical aspirator-assisted mitral annular decalcification. With the proper technique, the cavitron ultrasonic surgical aspirator may mitigate the risk of surgical complications associated with severe calcification of the mitral annulus.
High Expression of Glycolytic Genes in Clinical Glioblastoma Patients Correlates with Lower Survival

Glioblastoma (GBM), the most aggressive brain tumor, is associated with a median survival at diagnosis of 16-20 months and limited treatment options. The key hallmark of GBM is altered tumor metabolism and marked increase in the rate of glycolysis. Aerobic glycolysis along with elevated glucose consumption and lactate production supports rapid cell proliferation and GBM growth. In this study, we examined the gene expression profile of metabolic targets in GBM samples from patients with low grade glioma (LGG) and GBM. We found that gene expression of glycolytic enzymes is up-regulated in GBM samples and significantly associated with an elevated risk for developing GBM. Our findings of clinical outcomes showed that GBM patients with high expression of HK2 and PKM2 in the glycolysis related genes and low expression of genes involved in mitochondrial metabolism-SDHB and COX5A related to tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), respectively, was associated with poor patient overall survival. Surprisingly, expression levels of genes involved in mitochondrial oxidative metabolism are markedly increased in GBM compared to LGG but was lower compared to normal brain. The fact that in GBM the expression levels of TCA cycle and OXPHOS-related genes are higher than those in LGG patients suggests the metabolic shift in GBM cells when progressing from LGG to GBM. These results are an important step forward in our understanding of the role of metabolic reprogramming in glioma as drivers of the tumor and could be potential prognostic targets in GBM therapies.
Sex Specific Adaptations to High Salt Diet Preserve Electrolyte Homeostasis with Distinct Sodium Transporter Profiles

Kidneys continuously filter an enormous amount of sodium and adapt kidney Na+ reabsorption to match Na+ intake to maintain circulatory volume and electrolyte homeostasis. Males (M) respond to high ...
Helping Judges and Juries Understand the Valuation of Chronic Pain Using the Subjective Well-Being Valuation Method

Chronic pain is an issue that forensic economists are often called upon to value. However, some methods of valuing chronic pain are difficult for judges and juries to understand. One approach that is relatively easy for judges and juries to grasp is the subjective well-being valuation method, specifically when using identical twins. We provide an example of such an analysis in which we determine the value of chronic pain by exploiting variation in chronic pain between identical twins in a nationally representative and adequately powered sample using the subjective well-being valuation method. Subjective well-being is measured as global life satisfaction. To measure the impact of chronic pain in a manner independent of the part of the body afflicted with pain, we measured chronic pain multidimensionally using the Brief Pain Inventory Interference Scale. We determine the compensating wealth variation for various levels of chronic pain, controlling for both time-invariant intra-pair effects (twin fixed effects) and a relevant set of time-varying covariates. We find that the mean valuations for the highest level of chronic pain (the value of pain and suffering) ranges from $5 million to $7 million. The range is due to variation in the functional form of the estimating equations.
Incidental Emissions, Fortuitous Effects, and the Origins of Communication

In recent years, a small group of animal behaviorists has been calling for a renewed focus on proximate mechanisms in the study of behavioral evolution (Kennedy, 1992; Stamps, 1991). These calls have been made to counter the current view, implicit in most contemporary analyses of animal behavior, that we can understand ultimate causation without worrying about the mechanistic details. As noted by Stamps (1991), however, today’s “students of ultimate causation in behavior have begun to ‘rediscover’ the importance of proximate mechanisms” (p. 342). Specifically, there is a growing realization that proximate mechanisms are not mere details—rather, they vitally shape our understanding of function and of the evolutionary origins of behavior and structure.
Chasing the Bean: Prescription Drug Smoking Among Socially Active Youth

Abstract Purpose Alternative consumption practices of prescription drug misuse have been less well monitored than general prevalence. We describe prescription drug smoking among socially active youth and highlight correlates of this practice. We also examine its association with drug problems, drug dependence, and mental health. Methods We surveyed 404 young adults recruited from nightlife venues in New York via time-space sampling. We use linear and logistic regression models to examine the probability of smoking prescription drugs and its association with drug problems, dependence, and mental health. Qualitative findings supplement the survey data. Results Males have higher odds than females (odds ratio [OR] = 3.4), and heterosexuals have higher odds than sexual minority youth (OR = 2.3) of smoking prescription drugs. Those involved in electronic dance music nightlife have higher odds (OR = 2.1) than those who do not participate in that scene, whereas those in college bar scenes have lower odds (OR = .4) of having smoked prescription drugs. Prescription drug smokers report more drug problems (β = .322) and greater symptoms of dependence net (β = .298) of the frequency of misuse and other characteristics. Prescription drug smokers do not report greater mental health problems. Qualitative interview data support these survey findings. Conclusions Prescription drug smoking is a significant drug trend among socially active youth. It is associated with drug problems and symptoms of dependence net of frequency of misuse. Prevention and intervention efforts for youth who misuse prescription drugs should address the issue of prescription drug smoking, and this may be an area for clinicians to address with their adolescent patients.
Alpha-particle losses in compact torsatron reactors

Loss of alpha particles in compact torsatron reactors is studied. For 6, 9, and 12 field period reactors, the direct loss is a relatively weak function of radius and energy and varies from approx. =33% for M = 6 to approx. =18% for M = 12. Loss of alpha particles through scattering into the loss region is calculated using the Fokker-Plank equation for fast ions and found to contribute an additional alpha-particle energy loss of approx. =15%. The consequences of these relatively large losses for torsatron reactor design are discussed. The relationship between the direct particle losses and the magnetic field structure is also studied. Orbit losses from a variety of stellarator configurations are calculated and a figure-of-merit that characterizes the orbit confinement of a magnetic configuration is deduced from these calculations. This figure-of-merit is used to show how the direct losses might be reduced at low aspect-ratio. Effects of finite beta on the direct particle losses are also addressed, and are shown to significantly increase the direct losses in some configurations. 15 refs., 8 figs.
Review of "Law, Ethics and the Visual Arts" by J.H. Merryman and A. Elsen and "Art Law: Rights and Liabilities of Creators and Collectors" by F. Feldman, S. Weil, and S. Duke-Biederman

In Law, Ethics, and the Visual Arts, Albert E. Elsen, a distinguished Rodin scholar and Walter A. Haas Professor of Art History at Stanford University, and John Henry Merryman, Sweitzer Professor of Law, Stanford Law School, examine the ethical, public policy, and legal issues relevant to the visual arts. This work offers a broad survey of the field ranging from legal and ethical issues relating to plunder, destruction, and reparation of art; to the illicit international art trade; and to the artist; the collector; and the museum. Their focus ranges from abstract questions: What is art and why do we care about it, to more mundane concerns such as the toxicity of art materials and artists' living and working space.Art Law: Rights and Liabilities of Creators and Collectors is not so broad a work. It does not cover the international market of art works, save as it relates to issues of rights of third parties, questions of adverse possession, and statutes of limitation. Nor does it deal with museums or trustees except for the question of bailments (chapter twelve) and loans or immunity of art works on display from seizure (chapter eleven).31 What it lacks in breadth, it surely makes up in depth of coverage. This work is for either the lawyer who is faced with an art law problem for the first time, or the practitioner knowledgeable in the field. The cases are all there, and they are interspersed with relevant law review articles on the subject. The authors' comments on the cases and the issues are always sagacious and helpful, sometimes leading one to wonder whether the case discussed needed to be included.