cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neural responses to perceiving suffering in humans and animals

The human ability to perceive and understand others' suffering is critical to reinforcing and maintaining our social bonds. What is not clear, however, is the extent to which this generalizes to nonhuman entities. Anecdotal evidence indicates that people may engage in empathy-like processes when observing suffering nonhuman entities, but psychological research suggests that we more readily empathize with those to whom we are closer and more similar. In this research, we examined neural responses in participants while they were presented with pictures of human versus dog suffering. We found that viewing human and animal suffering led to large overlapping regions of activation previously implicated in empathic responding to suffering, including the anterior cingulate gyrus and anterior insula. Direct comparisons of viewing human and animal suffering also revealed differences such that human suffering yielded significantly greater medial prefrontal activation, consistent with high-level theory of mind, where...
Salient Boundary Detection using Ratio Contour

This paper presents a novel graph-theoretic approach, named ratio contour, to extract perceptually salient boundaries from a set of noisy boundary fragments detected in real images. The boundary saliency is defined using the Gestalt laws of closure, proximity, and continuity. This paper first constructs an undirected graph with two different sets of edges: solid edges and dashed edges. The weights of solid and dashed edges measure the local saliency in and between boundary fragments, respectively. Then the most salient boundary is detected by searching for an optimal cycle in this graph with minimum average weight. The proposed approach guarantees the global optimality without introducing any biases related to region area or boundary length. We collect a variety of images for testing the proposed approach with encouraging results.
Bacterial Macrofibers and Bionites: Materials of Natural and Synthetic Design

Two fiber forms can be obtained from cells of the rod-shaped bacterium, Bacillus subtilis, one called macrofibers, the other bacterial thread. Macrofibers are highly organized, multicellular structures, millimeters in length that selfassemble in a unique way. Each fiber is essentially a single chain of cells linked end-to-end that has repeatedly folded upon itself and twisted into helical form. The growth of individual cells yields both the material of the macrofiber and the forces required for its assembly. The forces involved stem from twisting motions caused by cell growth geometry. The folding process is akin to negative supercoiling. New approaches have been used to estimate the magnitude of forces. Torque generated by single filaments has been estimated from snapopening motions resulting from aborted attempts at folding to be in the range of 10−10 to 10−8 dyne-cm. In contrast, multifilament fibers carrying small wires in their loops must have generated a torque of at least 10−5 dyne-cm and a supercoiling force of at least 10−5 dyne in order to have moved the wires in viscous solutions at the rates observed. The second bacterial fiber form, bacterial thread, and its mineralized derivatives, called bionites, are man-made materials. They are produced by the drawing and drying of bacterial cell filaments from cultures grown in the form of a textile-like web. The material properties of bacterial thread reflect primarily those of the strength-bearing cell wall polymer, peptidoglycan. A variety of new fiber-like materials have been produced by mineralizing the cell walls in situ in web cultures and drawing the products. Iron, copper, calcium, and potassium phosphate-containing bionites have been obtained in this manner. We are currently searching for order in the bionite crystal forms that may reflect the electrostatic nature of the wall polymer structural templates.
ALLAH'S MOUNTAINS: ESTABLISHING A NATIONAL PARK IN THE CENTRAL ASIAN PAMIR

Although the debate over Marco Polo’s itinerary across Central Asia continues, the Venetian Merchant surely reached the Pamir Plateau and camped beside the icy waters of Lake Issikul. His 13th century narrative of this Roof of the World, where the Pamir and Hindu Kush converge, is very accurate. The glacial peaks, windswept plateaus, non-existent avifauna, and “heaps” of sheep horns that comprise this landscape are difficult for one uninitiated to simply imagine into being. Moreover, the nomadic Kirghiz who graze yaks here today still pursue wild ungulates for meat and clothing. This is how it appeared in July 1991, when our research team entered this highland outpost, seven centuries after Marco Polo and one year after the fall of Soviet Communism.
Loss and Gain: Revisiting the Roles of the First Language in Novice Adult Second Language Learning Classrooms

In order to further understand the roles of first language (L1) in second language (L2) classrooms and explore new potential pedagogical insights for second or foreign language teaching, this article presents an empirical study that explores the attitudes of foreign and second language teachers and students on the use of L1 in L2 classrooms. A small group of L2 teachers and L2 novice students from a public university in Alaska participated in a combined qualitative and quantitative study ( survey, individual interviews, and a focus group interview) given by the researchers in 2013. The study shows that the majority of the participants hold a very positive outlook on using L1 in their l2 learning process and they believe that the use of L1 can help build a meaningful connection between their L1 and L2 that it can promote L2 students’ understanding on L2 grammar, culture, and syntax (especially at the beginning level). Participants all agreed that L1 use can help L2 teachers to make instructions and assignments easier for L2 students to understand. The findings support previous studies on positive effects of L1 on L2 learning classroom. The study concludes that the use of L1 in L2 classrooms can be treated as a naturally occurring phenomenon at various levels and for a variety of teaching and learning purposes and that it should not be avoided but be monitored for its conducive effects in L2 classrooms.
The Failure of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act: Time to Take a New Approach to Regulating Computer Crime

Whenever a legislature creates a technology-specific crime, it faces a number of challenges. First, there is a risk that the new statute will merely duplicate existing crimes, thus overcriminalizing the conduct and creating unnecessary confusion. Second, the legislature needs to ensure that it provides the proper guidance to prosecutors, citizens, and courts with regard to the new concepts that need to be defined. And finally, the legislature needs to ensure that the law can be amended and updated as the technology evolves.The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (“CFAA”) is an example of technology-specific criminal provisions that fails all of these tests. Much of the CFAA is comprised of extortion, fraud, and criminal damaging statutes which prohibit conduct that is already covered by existing laws (or could be covered through minor changes to those laws). Meanwhile, the critical concepts of “loss,” “access,” and “authorization” in the statute remain poorly defined or completely undefined by the statute thirty years after it was first passed.The best solution to this problem is for Congress to stop trying to regulate computer misconduct directly through legislation and empower an administrative agency to set more detailed and technical rules regarding what constitutes “computer trespass.” Thirty years of the CFAA have demonstrated that Congress lacks either the expertise or the inclination (or both) to define the relatively new concept of “computer trespass,” and the challenge is only becoming greater as the types of digital devices and the ways of communicating with these devices increase every year.
Performance and Reliability Characterization of 1200 V Silicon Carbide Power MOSFETs at High Temperatures.

1200 V Silicon Carbide (SiC) Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (MOSFETs) and Junction Field Effect Transistors (JFETs) have been characterized at high operational temperatures. For packaged JFETs obtained from a collaborating manufacturer, the threshold shift (ΔVT) was measured under both static and dynamic voltage stress and, in all cases, was less than 2 mV, which is within the measurement margin of error. Temperatures up to 250°C and stress times as long as 200 hours were evaluated. As a comparison, commercially available SiC MOSFETs demonstrated shifts of up to 300 mV after 30 minutes of static gate stress at 175°C. In addition, results from unpackaged JFET die at temperatures up to 525°C show ΔVT values of less than 10 mV for all stress conditions. Although VT remained unchanged for the duration of the test for both static and dynamic stress conditions, under dynamic stress conditions the JFET packaged parts demonstrated a linear increase in sub-threshold leakage current of around 15...
Feasibility Study of the Potential Use of Drill Cuttings in Concrete

Abstract Increasing the need of energy and its high price tempts companies to drill more oil wells every day and create more drilling waste. Most of these drilling wastes are managed to be disposed but they will always have many environmental impacts. Therefore, this study investigates the potential of using drill cuttings in concrete as a partial replacement of cement. The innovation of this study is not only to produce a new and cost-effective material from drill cuttings, but also to mitigate its negative environmental impacts. To achieve this objective, laboratory studies carried out to quantify the compressive strength of concrete samples and to determine the chemical composition of drill cuttings. Results showed that replacing 5% of cement with dried drill cuttings reduces the compressive strength of concrete by 10%. However, comprehensive strength of concrete samples decreases by 20% when replacing 10, 15, and 20% of cement with drill cuttings. Furthermore, the effect of some additives such as fly ash and silica fume on the compressive strength of the concrete samples containing drill cuttings was studied. It was concluded that adding these additives have a significant influence on the compressive strength of concrete samples containing 20% drill cuttings.
Reductive Transformation of Birnessite by Aqueous Mn(II)

Reaction of aqueous Mn(II) with hexagonal birnessite at pH 7.5 causes reductive transformation of birnessite into feitknechtite (β-Mn(III)OOH) and manganite (γ-Mn(III)OOH) through interfacial electron transfer from adsorbed Mn(II) to structural Mn(IV) atoms and arrangement of product Mn(III) into MnOOH, summarized by Mn(II) + Mn(IV)O(2) + 2 H(2)O → 2 Mn(III)OOH + 2 H(+). Feitknechtite is the initial transformation product, and subsequently converted into the more stable manganite polymorph during ongoing reaction with Mn(II). Feitknechtite production is observed at Mn(II) concentrations 2 orders of magnitude below thermodynamic thresholds, reflecting uncertainty in thermodynamic data of Mn-oxide minerals and/or specific interactions between Mn(II) and birnessite surface sites facilitating electron exchange. Under oxic conditions, feitknechtite formation through surface-catalyzed oxidation of Mn(II) by O(2) leads to additional Mn(II) removal from solution relative to anoxic systems. These results indicate that Mn(II) may be an important moderator of the reductive arm of Mn-oxide redox cycling, and suggest a controlling role of Mn(II) in regulating the solubility and speciation of phyllomanganate-reactive metal pollutants including Co, Ni, As, and Cr in geochemical environments.
A Family of UO22+–5-Nitro-1,3-dicarboxylate Hybrid Materials: Structural Variation As a Function of pH and Structure Directing Species

Four new UO22+ compounds were hydrothermally synthesized and incorporate 5-nitro-1,3-benzenedicarboxylic acid (n-bzdc): [(UO2)(C8N1O6H3)(H2O)]·H2O (1), [(UO2)2(C8N1O6H3)2H2O]·TEA (2); [(UO2)2(OH)(C8N1O6H3)2]·(TEAH)(H2O) (3); [(UO2)(C8N1O6H3)(C8N1O6H4)]·TMAH (4). Compound 1 consists of pentagonal bipyramidal uranyl monomers bridged via n-bzdc linkers to form a double-stranded chain, a structural motif that also serves as the foundation for the 2-D sheet of 2 and the 3-D framework of 3. The increasing dimensionality displayed throughout compounds 1–3 is a function of pH and the structure directing influence of TEA (triethylamine) in the case of 2 and 3. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibit similar 2-D configurations, yet each compound offers a different route toward structural assembly: supramolecular noncovalent interactions (1) and direct metal-to-ligand coordination (2). The role of TEA as a template in 2 and 3 was investigated by substituting TEA with alternative species that can potentially serve as structure dir...
Generating Nonpowers by Formula

For x a real number the expression [x] as usual denotes the greatest integer t 1 we define the function fn: N -> N by fn(i) = the ith positive integer which is not a perfect nth power. For example in the table below we see the behavior of f9; namely, f2 lists in ascending order the elements in N which are not perfect squares.
Musculoskeletal Manifestations of HIV Disease

Musculoskeletal disease in HIV patients can represent opportunistic infections, noninfectious HIV complications such as malignancy, toxicities of
Vitamin B12 and placental expression of transcobalamin in pregnant adolescents.

Abstract Background Transcobalamin is a key placental protein involved in transport of vitamin B12 to the fetus. However, few data currently exist on the ability of the placenta to modify vitamin B12 transporter expression, particularly in high-risk populations such as pregnant adolescents. Objective This study was conducted to determine the impact of maternal and neonatal serum vitamin B12 concentrations on placental transcobalamin (TC) expression in a cohort of healthy pregnant adolescents in the United States. Design Serum vitamin B12 concentrations were measured in maternal blood samples at mid-gestation (26.4 ± 2.8 weeks) and delivery (39.8 ± 1.4 weeks) and infant cord blood samples at birth. Placentas were collected at delivery and TC mRNA expression (ΔΔCt) and TC protein abundance (TC:α-actin) were evaluated. Linear and binomial regression models were used to examine the associations of maternal serum (mid-gestation, delivery) and cord blood vitamin B12 concentrations with placental TC mRNA expression and protein abundance (n = 63). Results Maternal serum vitamin B12 concentrations at mid-gestation or delivery were not significantly associated with placental TC mRNA expression or TC protein abundance (p > 0.05). Higher placental TC protein abundance was associated with increased cord blood vitamin B12 concentrations (p = 0.003). Conclusions Higher placental TC protein abundance was associated with higher cord blood vitamin B12 concentrations, suggesting a potential role in vitamin B12 transport to the fetus.
CHAPTER 37 – Pheromones and Mammalian Reproduction

This chapter discusses the role of pheromones in mammalian reproduction. In several species, the onset of puberty can be accelerated or inhibited by priming pheromones, and once adulthood is reached, pheromones can influence the characteristics of the female's ovarian cycle and induce a gonadotropin surge in the male. The priming pheromones are relatively small molecules that are bound by urinary proteins, and are active at very low levels. Many mammals also have evolved specific behavior patterns for depositing pheromones. One of these involves “overmarking,” placing a scent so that it fully or partially overlaps that of a previous mark. Overmarking can be a form of competition between rivals for a territory or a mate. Moreover, identification of the vomeronasal organ as the receptor of priming pheromones ties these external chemical signals to the rich world of neurotransmitters in the central nervous system, and thus to endocrine changes in circulation that affect reproduction.
Highly Oriented MoS2 Coatings: Tribology and Environmental Stability

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) coatings have been prepared via nitrogen (N2) spray deposition, a process which deliberately impinges particulates of MoS2 onto a substrate yielding a preferential basally oriented state. Adherent and highly oriented 100- to 300-nm-thick coatings were produced. These coatings exhibited lower initial friction coefficients than sputtered films in dry and humid environments. Such reductions likely stem from a higher degree of basal plane orientation throughout the film as confirmed by XRD. Initial friction in humid air for sprayed coatings (µ = 0.10) was half that of sputtered coatings (µ = 0.21), showing the ability of oriented surface films to produce a low shear strength interface. Aging of these coatings in a humid nitrogen environment also showed the propensity for the films to resist poisoning of their structure which could otherwise result in degraded tribological performance. These results also support the hypothesis that water vapor does not contribute to the oxidation of MoS2.
Will firms go green if it pays? The impact of disruption, cost, and external factors on the adoption of environmental initiatives

Research summary: Research on the link between financial and environmental performance implicitly assumes that firms will pursue profitable environmental actions. Yet, clearly, factors beyond profitability influence firms' environmental choices. We treat these choices as organizational change decisions and hypothesize that adoption of environmental initiatives is influenced by a combination of profit, level of disruption caused, and external influences. We test our hypotheses by examining firms' choices regarding implementation of energy-savings initiatives. We find that degree of disruption, number of prior local adopters, and strength of environmental norms affect the adoption decisions. In addition, the effect of disruption is amplified by the implementation costs, but is mitigated by the number of prior local adopters. Managerial summary: Often, in trying to improve firms' environmental performance, academics and stakeholders have focused on actions that simultaneously improve environmental and financial performance. This assumes that firms will undertake projects that offer such dual benefits. We consider what might prevent firms from pursuing such ‘win-win’ initiatives. We focus on how the degree of disruption of an energy-saving initiative affects its probability of adoption. We find that firms are significantly more likely to adopt moderately profitable, but easy initiatives than more profitable but disruptive ones. We also examine internal and external factors that moderate the effect of disruption. Our findings suggest that in order to incentivize firms to improve environmental performance, it might be more beneficial make these activities less disruptive than to make them more profitable. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An analytical solution for probability density function of stretching rate in homogeneous isotropic turbulence

Abstract A closed-form expression is derived for the probability density function (pdf) of the stretching rate in homogeneous isotropic turbulence. The pdf has the Reynolds-number-independent Gaussian part and Reynolds-number-dependent non-Gaussian part. The physical meanings of the relevant parameters are discussed, and particularly the Reynolds-number effects on the pdf and statistical quantities are examined.
Prosodic feature generation for back-channel prediction

Using prosodic information to predict when back-channels are appropriate in spontaneous dialogs has become somewhat of a reference problem for automatic discovery techniques. Here we present experiments with two ideas: the use of features derived from randomly generated pitch and energy filters, and the use of instancebased learning, specifically the Locally Weighted Linear Regression (LWLR) algorithm. For the task of predicting possible backchannel locations in Iraqi Arabic [6], we obtain 22% precision and 51% recall, which is as good as that obtained using a laboriously developed and hand-tuned rule.
Assessment of kidneys in adult autopsies

Abstract Medical kidney diseases, such as acute tubular injury, arterionephrosclerosis, and infections, are common in hospitalized patients and frequently seen at autopsy. In addition, we have encountered a wide spectrum of renal pathology in adult autopsies including diabetic nephropathy, thrombotic microangiopathy, glomerulonephritis (often infection-related), vasculitis, amyloidosis, light chain cast nephropathy, membranous nephropathy, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, atheroembolic disease, polyomavirus nephropathy, bile cast nephropathy, oxalosis, nephrocalcinosis, and urate nephropathy. Since kidney biopsy is usually avoided in critically ill patients, histologic evaluation of autopsy kidneys may be the first and only opportunity to identify these diseases, allowing us to better understand their role in morbidity and mortality. The practicing pathologist should be aware of the frequency and spectrum of renal pathology that may be present in autopsy kidneys, and implement a systemic approach to their evaluation. We will discuss our approach and review the pathologic features of the most commonly encountered entities.
Reasoning and discovering novel treatments in linked social health records

Discovering novel, alternative treatment options that may have the same efficacy and patient safety as existing drugs is a challenging task for clinicians. Through research and observations, clinicians can form a hypothesis about a possible compatible option, but it is difficult to support or refute it. In this study, we present an approach that utilizes the Semantically Linked Data of different Social Health Records (SHR), which contain patient-generated, health-related contents. The SHRs can provide information about the crowd of online patients' health practices that is lacking within specific Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems. We present the Linked Data framework for building an SHR knowledge base, and describe methods for reasoning and discovering potential novel alternative treatment options, as well as an approach for gathering support that an alternative treatment can indeed be substituted for standard treatment options.
Latent Cognitive Phenotypes in De Novo Parkinson's Disease: A Person-Centered Approach.

Objectives: Cognitive impairment is an important aspect of Parkinson’s disease (PD), but there is considerable heterogeneity in its presentation. This investigation aims to identify and characterize latent cognitive phenotypes in early PD. Methods: Latent class analysis, a data-driven, person-centered, cluster analysis was performed on cognitive data from the Parkinson’s Progressive Markers Initiative baseline visit. This analytic method facilitates identification of naturally occurring endophenotypes. Resulting classes were compared across biomarker, symptom, and demographic data. Results: Six cognitive phenotypes were identified. Three demonstrated consistent performance across indicators, representing poor (“Weak-Overall”), average (“Typical-Overall”), and strong (“Strong-Overall”) cognition. The remaining classes demonstrated unique patterns of cognition, characterized by “Strong-Memory,” “Weak-Visuospatial,” and “Amnestic” profiles. The Amnestic class evidenced greater tremor severity and anosmia, but was unassociated with biomarkers linked with Alzheimer’s disease. The Weak-Overall class was older and reported more non-motor features associated with cognitive decline, including anxiety, depression, autonomic dysfunction, anosmia, and REM sleep behaviors. The Strong-Overall class was younger, more female, and reported less dysautonomia and anosmia. Classes were unrelated to disease duration, functional independence, or available biomarkers. Conclusions: Latent cognitive phenotypes with focal patterns of impairment were observed in recently diagnosed individuals with PD. Cognitive profiles were found to be independent of traditional biomarkers and motoric indices of disease progression. Only globally impaired class was associated with previously reported indicators of cognitive decline, suggesting this group may drive the effects reported in studies using variable-based analysis. Longitudinal and neuroanatomical characterization of classes will yield further insight into the evolution of cognitive change in the disease. (JINS, 2017, 23, 551–563)
Wetlands in Defiance: Exploring African-American Resistance in the Great Dismal Swamp

ABSTRACTThe Great Dismal Swamp of Virginia and North Carolina (US) was home to disenfranchised Native Americans, enslaved canal company labourers and Maroons (‘fugitive slaves’) who lived in the wetlands temporarily and long term ca. 1607–1863. This paper discusses the methods and results of recent exploration and excavation in Virginia on the Williamson North and Williamson South sites. Publicly available LiDAR data and on-the-ground exploration facilitated identification of both potential archaeological sites and subtle terrain features across the rather inaccessible landscape. By studying the local place variations and connections between wet and dry spaces subsumed under the Swamp moniker, it is possible to glimpse a more nuanced historical landscape. Newly identified sites in the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge demonstrate that the smallest islands in the Swamp and the wet areas surrounding them should not be overlooked as we work to understand the landscape of resistance created by Maroons.
North Central Sociological Association 2018 Teaching Address: John F. Schnabel Lecture Teaching as Mentoring; Mentoring as Teaching

Graduate student mentoring is widely considered a critical element of postbaccalaureate education, yet the mentoring of undergraduates is a frequently neglected topic in academic discourse. The ben...
The Changing Distribution of Income in an Open U.S. Economy: Findings and Lessons

Abstract This paper summarizes some of the important results contributed in the volume's papers. Avenues for future research are discussed. Some policy recommendations are suggested.
Who Takes Elementary Mathematics Courses? Why? A Guess, and Some Problems for Change

The sort of statement I would like to be able to fill this paper with is this: “There are presently 72,500 undergraduates taking calculus because they know they need that mathematical background for graduate work for an MBA.” It would be even more satisfying to add: “If a course in mathematics were planned specifically for the needs of the MBA, then 173,400 students each year would elect it.”
Schools of public health: essential infrastructure of a responsible society and a 21st-century health system.

Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NYAddress correspondence to: James Colgrove, PhD, MPH, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168th St., New York, NY 10032; tel. 212-305-0561; fax 212-342-1986; e-mail .©2010 Association of Schools of Public Health
Host Defenses and Bacterial Assaults: A Delicate Balance

In health, a symbiotic relationship exists between the human body and the bacteria which colonize its surfaces. Under normal circumstances, products of bacterial metabolism, such as short-chain fatty acids or vitamins, are critical for human well being. A single cell layer of mucosal epithelium with a complex underlying immunologic system and various innate nonspecific mechanisms allow absorption of nutrients while maintaining an effective barrier against the 1-1.5 kg of bacteria and other toxic factors. In times of illness, this balance is upset. Changes in gut permeability, inability to ingest nutrients, antibiotic pressure and many other factors alter the normal checks and balances between coexistence and absorption of toxic intraluminal products and sepsis. While two decades of research have focused on epithelial changes in permeability to toxins and bacteria, recent investigations of intestinal immunity and responses of bacteria to altered body defensives are modifying concepts of host defenses during critical illness. These new concepts in immunology and bacterial responses are the focus of this review.
Benefit-risk review of different drug classes used in chronic heart failure.

Introduction: Heart failure (HF) is an important public health problem with an increasing prevalence across the globe. The mortality rates from this complex clinical problem have stabilized in the ...
Building the case for housing policy: Understanding public beliefs about housing affordability as a key social determinant of health.

Abstract Background The current housing crisis in the U.S. requires the consideration and promotion of policies that improve the circumstances of severe housing cost burdens. Building public awareness of the health impacts associated with housing affordability may be a key prerequisite for policy change. Methods Quantitative and qualitative data from a national survey were used to investigate public understandings about housing affordability as a key driver of health. Quantitative and qualitative findings were integrated to test whether any relationships existed between respondents’ considerations and concerns about housing affordability and their perceptions about housing affordability as a social determinant of health. Findings These data support four key findings. First, understandings of the relationship between affordable housing and health are partisan and income-based driven, with Republicans and high-income respondents less likely to acknowledge the effects of housing affordability on health. Second, varied frames of communication about the relationship between housing affordability and health may produce significantly different reactions among political and income subgroups. Third, while there is considerable agreement that housing affordability promotes health when using forced-choice measures, connections between affordable housing and health are not readily volunteered. Finally, the themes of personal responsibility and stability and security significantly resonate with Republicans and high-income earners. Conclusions Contextualizing the issue of housing affordability within various domains in ways that effectively resonate with the American public and policymakers and across political and income spectra, is highly imperative.
Toward Intervocality: Linklater, the Body, and Contemporary Feminist Theory

This article inaugurates a conversation between the fields of voice training and contemporary feminist theories of the body. The article begins with a consideration of the development of Kristin Li...
A structured approach to train text messaging in an individual with aphasia

Background: Text messaging is an increasingly common communication modality that can present considerable challenges to individuals with aphasia. Not only does “texting” rely on central (linguistic...
Instruments of violence: Female suicide bombers of Boko Haram

Abstract Groups engaging in political violence are utilizing women more frequently in operational roles, with females as suicide bombers being the most common role of women in terrorist attack events. In recent years, the trend in female suicide bombers has spiked and sources indicate that this can be attributed to the Boko Haram group in the Sub-Saharan Africa region, which has utilized more women as suicide bombers than any other group in history. Therefore, the present study seeks to address potential reasons for the high levels of women's involvement in suicide attacks by Boko Haram. Results of content analysis of publicly available, open-sourced media materials cited in the Global Terrorism Database suggests that women engaging in suicide bombing events affiliated with Boko Haram are being used as instruments for the group's violent objectives.
The Effects of Arguing Expectations and Predispositions on Perceptions of Argument Quality and Playfulness

The production of arguments is, or is expected to be, influenced by a number of factors, including one's expectations concerning what occurs during interpersonal arguments, one's emotional predispo...
Fully coupled thermo-mechanical cohesive zone model with thermal softening: Application to nanocomposites

Abstract A computational framework is proposed for coupled thermo-mechanical analyses of interface separation and heat transport in carbon nanotubes (CNTs) enhanced composites. The numerical approach adopted is based on a newly developed cohesive zone finite element, with fully coupled interactions between load and heat transfer. The load transfer behavior is described by a damage (bilinear) model that can account for mixed-mode separation and for thermal degradation of the interface mechanical properties. The interface conductance consists of the conductance of connective bond, air and contact and is coupled to the cohesive zone damage and crack closure. The element is then used to numerically study the thermoelastic properties of nanocomposites. Due to the possibility of low interface conductance, composites containing higher volume fraction or better alignment of CNT may not have more favorable mechanical behaviors in thermo-mechanical loading. Contributions of connective, contact and air conductance on the heat transfer in the damaged cohesive zone are investigated. The proposed computational framework is an extension of mechanical only finite element analyses of the CNT-composites, providing an alternative to molecular dynamics in carrying out multiphysics simulation of CNT-composites with less computational cost. The present work provides valuable insight into understanding the interaction of the load and heat transfers in the CNT-composites, the evolution of interface conductance in the damaged interface and the effect of interface damage on the overall performance of the composite.
Subsequence Pattern Models

Having described some methodologies for modeling sequences, we now turn our attention toward describing the statistical modeling procedures for DNA patterns. There are a growing number of well-established patterns that we may wish to model and search for in DNA sequences. Often these patterns of functional significance are discovered after an alignment of sequences belonging to a particular family. Such a multiple sequence alignment is often interspersed with gaps of varying sizes.
A New Nearctic Species of Diadocidia Ruthe Fungus Gnat (Diptera: Diadocidiidae)

A new species of Diadocidia Ruthe fungus gnat was discovered in a mixed pine and hardwood forest in the eastern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Diadocidia longivena Taber is the fourth species recorded from North America and the first new species of the genus described from the Nearctic in 63 years. The fly belongs to subgenus Adidocidia Laŝtovka and Matile, as do both of its congeners that were described in North America.
The abundance and habitat use of demersal fishes on a rocky offshore bank using the ROPOS remotely operated vehicle

Abstract Offshore rocky banks are ecologically important refuge habitats for a number of U.S. commercial groundfish species. However, they are challenging to survey, and data on the abundance and ecology of fish populations at deep banks are limited. We used the remotely operated vehicle ROPOS to carry out visual surveys at two sites on Cherry Bank in the Southern California Bight, eastern Pacific Ocean. We observed differences in fish assemblages related to depth and habitat type and found that rockfishes (Sebastes spp) made up 65% of fishes recorded. Rockfishes and combfish (Zaniolepis spp) were associated with relatively shallow areas with hard substrate whereas flatfishes (Pleuronectiformes) and poachers (Agonidae) were found on unconsolidated sediments. Thornyheads (Sebastolobus spp) and hagfishes (Myxinidae) mainly occurred in areas of patchy habitat. Habitat and depth explained 52% of the variation in fish assemblages between transects with habitat explaining a greater proportion of the variation than depth. We observed large differences in the number of juvenile rockfishes and Sebastomus rockfishes between study sites with hard substrates and also had higher abundances of juvenile rockfishes versus sites characterized by mixed substrates. With the exception of unidentified Sebastomus, the current design had relatively low power to reliably detect observed differences for most taxa, so we report the number of additional transects that would be required to detect a 50% increase in densities. These data provide a baseline on groundfish densities and habitat associations at Cherry Bank and key information for the design of future work including Bayesian approaches to estimating coast-wide abundance.
Simulated Evaluation of Ubiquitous Sensed Situational Awareness Systems

Developing technical capability that enables the utilization of ubiquitous sensing for situational awareness will likely catalyze a paradigm shift in data fusion, especially in light of recent advances in computing and data-driven techniques. Via the use of appropriate models, the well-entrenched data fusion methods can be utilized to mitigate some of the current challenges that are hindering the progress in this direction. However, due to the inherent challenges associated with ubiquitous sensing and randomness of data acquisition, adequate evaluation of advanced detection and sensor fusion systems remains a major challenge that hampers the progress in this direction. In this paper, a simulation approach for generating a synthetic dataset for comprehensive evaluation of Situational Awareness Systems (SASs) that utilize ubiquitous sensing for data acquisition is presented. With a particular emphasis on recording and organizing spatio-temporal observations, the steps towards construction of a comprehensive dataset that takes into account various spatiotemporal parameters corresponding to location, hazards and detectors is presented. The presented approach is then utilized to illustrate a simplified evaluation of an efficient data storage and inference system designed for asynchronous detections that are characteristic of ubiquitous sensed SASs.
Cost-utility analysis comparing surgical and nonsurgical interventions in the treatment of erectile dysfunction

With recent innovative developments in microsurgery, novel, safe, and effective surgical options for erectile dysfunction (ED) are quickly emerging which may replace mainstay medical treatments. In an age where health care is increasingly focused on financial accountability and clinical outcomes, cost-utility analysis between nonsurgical treatment (pharmaceutical agents, mechanical devices, and shockwave therapy) and emerging surgical options will prove relevant and impactful to all physicians that treat patients with ED. The purpose of this study was to use the cost-utility analysis to compare the costs, outcomes, and overall quality of life conveyed to the patient by either nonsurgical or surgical treatments for ED. These results will help patients and physicians form more informed decisions when it comes to the treatment of men suffering from ED. The cost-utility analysis makes use of costs, probabilities, and utilities of health outcomes (referred to as health states) that are used to evaluate opposing interventions. Amazon Mechanical Turk© was used to derive utility scores for health states associated with surgical and nonsurgical interventions. In addition, a systematic review was performed to identify common complications of treatment and associated probabilities. All direct costs were derived from national Medicare facility reimbursement data and national hospital billing charges for fiscal year 2017, and indirect costs were accounted for by our utility estimates. Baseline analysis revealed an incremental cost-utility ratio of $(1428.00) in favor of surgical intervention. The cost of lifetime medical therapy was $15,488.28 greater than that of surgery even when adjusted for inflation. Furthermore, surgery provided patients with a quality-adjusted life-year gain of 10.77 years greater than medical treatment. Long-term costs and utility data should be taken into consideration when determining the best treatment options for a patient with ED. Surgical interventions for erectile dysfunctions represent a significant cost savings to society compared with nonsurgical treatment. Phosphodiesterase type-5 (PDE5) inhibitors offered the greatest cost with the least clinical benefit in the eyes of the patient. Level of evidence: Not ratable.
How Do Patients Present? Acute and Chronic Presentations

Certain stereotyped neurological presentations are typical in the clinic, hospital, or emergency room environment (Table 3.1).
Molecular Logic of Cellular Diversification in the Mammalian Cerebral Cortex

ABSTRACT The neocortex has an unparalleled diversity of cell types, which are generated during development through a series of temporally orchestrated events that are under tight evolutionary constraint and are critical for proper cortical assembly and function. However, the molecular logic that governs the establishment and organization of cortical cell types remains elusive, largely due to the large number of cell classes undergoing dynamic cell-state transitions over extended developmental timelines. Here, we have generated a comprehensive single-cell RNA-seq and single-cell ATAC-seq atlas of the developing mouse neocortex, sampled every day throughout embryonic corticogenesis. We computationally reconstruct developmental trajectories across the diversity of cortical cell classes, and infer the gene regulatory programs that accompany their lineage bifurcation decisions and their differentiation trajectories. Finally, we demonstrate how this developmental map pinpoints the origin of lineage-specific developmental abnormalities linked to aberrant corticogenesis in mutant animals. The data provides the first global picture of the regulatory mechanisms governing cellular diversification in the neocortex.
Ionophore A23187 and dibutyryl cyclic AMP effects on cell shape and morphology of B-16 melanoma

Melanoma cells treated with dibutyryl cyclic AMP (db cAMP) for 24 h resulted in dendritic cells possessing parallel assembled microtubules. A23187 treatments resulted in a biphasic response: Long term effects of the ionophore were characterized by small epitheloid cells while the immediate response produced elongated cells with parallel arranged 10 nm microgilaments, characteristic of dispersive melanocytes.
Comparing prevalence estimates of concussion/head injury in U.S. children and adolescents in national surveys.

Abstract Background and objectives Reports on pediatric lifetime concussions/head injuries (LCHI) from national surveys have offered estimates on prevalence that range from 2.5% to 18% in the general population. The purpose of this study is to examine national surveys to compare methodologies and limitations pertaining to LCHI data collection. Methods Three nationally representative surveys that measure LCHI in children, including the National Survey of Children's Health, the National Health Interview Survey, and the Monitoring the Future Survey were examined. Children were grouped by ages 3–17 years and adolescent ages 13–17 years, stratified by selected demographic characteristics. Participants in the surveys included parents (NSCH and NHIS) and adolescents (MTF survey). The primary outcome measure is an estimate of LCHI in children. Results Estimates of prevalence of LCHI ranged from 3.6% to 7.0% for children ages 3–17 years and from 6.5% to 18.3% for adolescents 13–17 years. Survey modality, question wording, and respondent may contribute to differing estimates. Prevalence showed consistent variation by age, sex, and race/ethnicity across surveys. Associations were inconsistent between LCHI and insurance status, parental education, and household primary language. Conclusions Although there are methodological differences in capturing pediatric LCHI across surveys, the prevalence estimates and correlational associations generated can offer awareness about the burden of these injuries and insights to research and clinical care.
Comparison of Convolutional Neural Network Architectures on Dermastopic Imagery

In this paper, six convolutional neural networks of varying architecture and/or depth are compared along with methods of data pre-processing to explore their effects on classification performance of skin lesions. Skin cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in the world. An early diagnosis along with rapid treatment is essential to a healthy recovery. However, the diagnosis of skin lesions can be a difficult task due to high inter-class similarities as well as large variances between cases. In recent years, the usage of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN’s), a type of image classification network, to diagnosis & predict diseases has become popular in the medical community. Their effectiveness, however, is dependent upon the quality and quantity of data available. Numerous networks with varying depths and designs exist; however, their performance on small datasets needs to explored further. The dataset used is the Human Against Machine with 10000 training images (HAM10000).
What difference does it make? Exploring the transformative potential of everyday climate crisis activism by children and youth

Given the enormity of the climate crisis, the transformative potential of ‘everyday’ activism is often questioned. In this theoretical discussion, I explore the real-world significance of everyday ...
Corporate Takeovers and Non-Financial Stakeholders

A large body of work has examined the impact of corporate takeovers on the financial stakeholders (shareholders and bondholders) of the merging firms. Since the late 2000s, empirical research has increasingly highlighted the crucial role played by the non-financial stakeholders (labor, suppliers, customers, government, and communities) in these transactions. This article surveys studies that examine the interplay between corporate takeovers and the non-financial stakeholders of the firm. Financial economists have long viewed the firm as a nexus of contracts between various stakeholders connected to the firm. Corporate takeovers not only play an important role in redefining the broad boundaries of the firm, they also result in major changes to corporate ownership and structure. In the process, takeovers can significantly alter the contractual relationships with non-financial stakeholders. Because the firm’s relationships with these stakeholders are governed by implicit and explicit contracts, circumstances can arise that allow acquiring firms to, fully or partially, abrogate these contracts and extract rents from non-financial stakeholders after deal completion. In contrast, non-financial stakeholders can also potentially benefit from a takeover if they get to share in any efficiency gains that are generated in the deal. Given this framework, the ex ante importance of these contractual relationships can have a bearing on the efficacy of takeovers. The ability to alter contractual relationships ex post can affect the propensity of a takeover and merging firms’ shareholders, and, in turn, impact non-financial stakeholders. Non-financial stakeholders will be more vested in post-takeover success if they can trust the acquiring firm to not take actions that are detrimental to them. The big picture that emerges from the surveyed literature is that non-financial stakeholder considerations affect takeover decisions and post-takeover outcomes. Moreover, takeovers also have an impact on non-financial stakeholders. The directions of all these effects, however, are dependent on the economic environment in which the merging firms operate.