cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
American Marriage in the Early Twenty-First Century

During the past century the U.S. family system has seen vast changes--in marriage and divorce rates, cohabitation, childbearing, sexual behavior, and women's work outside the home. Andrew Cherlin reviews these historic changes, noting that marriage remains the most common living arrangement for raising children, but that children, especially poor and minority children, are increasingly likely to grow up in single-parent families and to experience family instability. Cherlin describes the economic and cultural forces that have transformed family life. Job market changes have drawn married women into the work force and deprived less-educated men of the blue-collar jobs by which they traditionally supported their families. And effective contraception and legalized abortion have eroded the norm of marriage before childbearing. Cherlin notes that sentiment in favor of marriage appears to be stronger in the United States than in other developed countries. The share of U.S. adults who are likely to marry is higher, but so is the share likely to divorce. U.S. children are also more likely to live in single-parent families at some time in their childhood. Although nearly all Americans, whether poor or well-to-do, hold to marriage as an ideal, today marriage is increasingly optional. To a greater extent than ever before, individuals can choose whether to form a family on their own, in a cohabiting relationship, or in a marriage. Given U.S. patterns of swift transitions into and out of marriage and high rates of single parenthood, American policymakers eager to promote marriage are unlikely to be able to raise U.S. family stability to levels typical of other developed countries. Consequently, a family policy that relies too heavily on marriage will not help the many children destined to live in single-parent and cohabiting families--many of them poor--during their formative years. Assistance must be directed to needy families, regardless of their household structure. Policymakers must craft a careful balance of marriage-based and marriage-neutral programs to provide adequate support to American children.
Nanomedicine for targeted photothermal cancer therapy: where are we now?

Thermal treatment (or hyperthermia) of tumors has a long history, dating back to the 19th century, when a partial tumor regression was observed in patients with a fever. Through great efforts in developing technology for controlled and localized heating, as well as better understanding of the mechanisms behind temperature-induced cell killing, modern thermal treatment has proven to be effective alone or when combined with other cancer treatments, such as radiation therapy and chemotherapy [1]. Although still in the early stages of development, ideal photothermal therapy (PTT) refers to treating cancer by targeted delivery of biocompatible photothermal nanoparticles and heat to the site of interest without damaging the surrounding healthy tissue. Welldesigned nanoparticles will generate heat after the absorption of nontoxic light, which is usually in the near-infrared (NIR) range (650–900 nm), for the killing of cancer cells. Considering the limited penetration depth (a few centimeters) of NIR light, as well as the varied locations of tumors in humans, the delivery of localized light may be either invasive or noninvasive. The efficiency of in vivo PTT depends greatly on the accumulation of light-responsive nanoparticles, the light-toheat conversion efficiency and the light dose (i.e., light power density and light exciting time).
Accretion disks in active galactic nuclei

The black-hole/accretion-disk model proposed to explain the high observed luminosities of AGN is discussed, reviewing the results of recent observational and theoretical investigations. The derivation of the governing equations for black holes and thick or thin disks is outlined; numerical predictions are presented in tables and graphs; and the observational implications for the thermal continuum and its polarization, the broad emission lines, and thermal light variations are explored.
Confession, Conversion, and Reciprocity in Early Tagalog Colonial Society

If one were a Tagalog convert to Christianity in the seventeenth or early eighteenth century, one would have probably been compelled to go to confession at least once a year. Confronting the Spanish priest, one would be subjected to his anxious probing in the vernacular as he proceeded through a checklist of possible transgressions against each of the Ten Commandments. Such checklists in the local language, called confessionarios, were common throughout the colonial period. Compiled by missionaries skilled in the Tagalog, they were designed to serve as mnemonic devices to aid Spanish clerics in eliciting the confessions of their native flock.
Are social norms the best predictor of outcomes among heavy-drinking college students?

Objective: This research was designed to evaluate the relative contribution of social norms, demographics, drinking motives, and alcohol expectancies in predicting alcohol consumption and related problems among heavy-drinking college students. Method: Participants included 818 (57.6% women) first-year undergraduates who reported at least one heavy-drinking episode in the previous month. In addition to providing demographic information (gender and fraternity/sorority membership) participants completed Web-based assessments of social norms (perceived descriptive norms regarding typical student drinking, injunctive norms regarding friends' and parents' approval), motives (social, enhancement, coping, and conformity), and expectancies and evaluations of positive and negative alcohol effects. Results: Regression results indicated that descriptive and injunctive norms were among the best predictors of college student drinking. With respect to alcohol problems, results indicated that coping motives accounted for the largest proportion of unique variance. Finally, results revealed that alcohol consumption mediated the relationships between predictors and problems for social norms, whereas coping motives, negative expectancies, and evaluation of negative effects were directly associated with alcohol problems despite having relatively weak or null unique associations with consumption. Conclusions: The results of this study substantiate social norms as being among the best predictors of alcohol consumption in this population and suggest that drinking to cope is a better predictor of problems. The findings are discussed in terms of practical prevention and treatment implications. Language: en
Reply to S. Gupta et al

We thank Gupta et al for their thoughtful response to our recent article in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, in which we argued against the view that the control arms of cancer clinical trials in low-resource countries must reflect the highest international standard of care. Gupta et al add the important qualification that standards of care may vary even within nations, with privileged individuals able to access treatments that remain out of reach for most patients in the country. They note, and we agree, that this within-country variation may complicate decisions about which treatments must be included within the control arm of a trial. Gupta et al also argue that some treatments have “conferred unprecedented benefits,” and should therefore be incorporated into the control arms of clinical trials, regardless of their local availability. Other treatments, they argue, confer only modest benefits and may therefore ethically be excluded from trials. The primary justification for basing the control arm of a trial on the local rather than highest international standard of care, however, is that doing so maximizes the likelihood that the trial’s results will be relevant to the communities in which it is conducted. Accepting the position of Gupta et al threatens to undermine the commitment to conducting locally relevant clinical trials. Investigators best improve outcomes for patients in disadvantaged countries when they demonstrate directly that a feasible intervention offers greater benefit than the local standard of care.
Requests for Safer Sex Among Men Who Have Sex with Men Who Use the Internet to Initiate Sexual Relationships: Implications for Healthcare Providers

ABSTRACT The number of men who have sex with men (MSM) who are using the Internet to initiate sexual relationships is increasing. Research suggests these men might have a higher likelihood of participation in high-risk sexual activities that might place them at greater risk for transmission of sexually-transmitted infections, including HIV. Although a few research studies have assessed higher risk behaviors among this population, studies have not typically focused on safer sex practices. This article presents findings from an original research study designed to assess both high-risk and safer-sex requests among MSM within a sample from Florida (n = 483) who use a popular Internet social networking site to initiate sexual relationships. Although the findings indicated a majority of MSM did not specifically request safe sex only within their profiles, its prevalence was higher in men with a reported negative HIV serostatus. This suggests some HIV-negative MSM are possibly participating in sexually-protectiv...
Tailored ion Exchange Resins for Combined Cesium and Strontium Removal From Soluble Srp High-Level Waste

Novel organic resins that achieve high selectivities for both cesium and strontium have been synthesized. They are condensation polymers of resorcinol and formaldehyde with attached chelating groups. Their column performance compares favorably with that of commercially available resins for either cesium or strontium removal. By combining Cs/sup +/ and Sr/sup 2 +/ removal in the same bed, these resins can significantly reduce the size and complexity of proposed facilities for processing defense high-level waste.
Long‐term follow‐up in hematopoieticstem‐cell transplant patients

: Hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) has increasingly become an accepted treatment for many childhood diseases and disorders. Potential HSCT recipients can be children with hematological malignancies or solid tumors, as well as congenital and acquired disorders. In the past decade, the use of HSCT in the treatment of pediatric disorders has grown exponentially while advances in supportive care have improved survival rate, contributing to a rapidly growing population of transplant survivors. Although numerous similarities can be found between pediatric and adult long-term HSCT survivors, this article provides a brief overview of the pediatric patients, emphasizing the aspects of surveillance and late effects. Understanding the long-term complications that can occur after HSCT is important in determining the appropriate evaluations and medical treatment for the patient involved. The goal of this article is to assist caregivers in providing optimal care for long-term survivors of HSCT. The initial section of this work comprises the three major causes of late effects in HSCT. It will then encompass a system review of the different potential complications that are seen with HSCT.
A pilot study to investigate the feasibility of electrical stimulation to assist gait in Parkinson's disease.

Objectives. This study aims to investigate the effect of functional electrical stimulation (FES) on gait in people with Parkinson's disease. Materials and Methods. Seven subjects with idiopathic Parkinson's disease received single-channel electrical stimulation for eight weeks to the common peroneal nerve to improve heel strike and provide sensory stimulus during the swing phase of gait. Stride length, time, and number of steps to complete a 20-m walk and distance completed in 3 min were assessed. Episodes of freezing and incidence of falls were recorded. Statistical analysis of the walking test data was analyzed using the nonparametric Wilcoxon signed ranks test. Results. An immediate improvement was demonstrated with FES on distance and average stride length during a 3-min walk during the treatment period but not on number of steps and walking speed during a 20-m walk. A training effect was observed for all parameters of gait measured over the eight-week treatment period, which was mostly maintained four weeks after treatment was stopped. Fewer falls and episodes of freezing occurred during the treatment period. The number of falls returned to pretreatment levels when treatment was stopped. Conclusions. This study has shown that FES can improve some parameters of gait over an eight-week period of use with a carryover effect that is maintained without stimulation during that time and an immediate reduction in the frequency of falls. An immediate effect of FES was demonstrated over a 3-min walk but not over a 20-m walk. Improvements in gait largely persisted on reassessment four weeks after stopping use of FES although the frequency of falls returned to pretreatment levels. A larger study is required to support these findings, to understand the mechanisms of the effects of electrical stimulation on gait and to identify those most likely to benefit from it.
Clinical and radiologic distinctions between secondary bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia and cryptogenic organizing pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: Bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP) is a distinct pattern of reaction of the lung to injury. It may be idiopathic or secondary to a variety of injuries. The term cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP) is used for patients with idiopathic BOOP. In this study we describe clinical and radiologic features of patients with BOOP. METHODS: The medical records of 33 patients with diagnosis of BOOP on surgical lung biopsy over a 10-year time period were reviewed retrospectively. We obtained data on clinical and radiologic manifestations, etiology, and outcome of these patients. RESULTS: Dyspnea was the most common symptom, followed by dry cough and fever. Crackles was the most common physical finding. Mean age at diagnosis of BOOP was 59 years, and 42% were females. The main radiologic manifestation was bilateral patchy consolidation. Most patients had favorable prognosis; however, 17% did not respond to treatment. Female sex was more common in COP than in secondary BOOP (P .004). Patients with COP had longer symptom duration before the diagnosis than secondary BOOP (P .01). Patients with secondary BOOP reported fever more frequently, compared to COP (P .005). Pleural effusion was present in 60% of patients with secondary BOOP, whereas none of the patients with COP had effusion (P .004). CONCLUSIONS: COP and secondary BOOP have diverse clinical and radiologic manifestations. Patients with secondary BOOP are more symptomatic. Both COP and secondary BOOP patients have good prognosis, and most respond to treatment with corticosteroids or
Effects of tetrabrombisphenol A on DNA integrity, oxidative stress, and sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus) spermatozoa quality variables

The sperm of sterlet (Acispenser ruthenus) was used to investigate the effect of the xenobiotic tetrabrombisphenol A (TBBPA) on sperm quality variables (ATP content, spermatozoa motility, and velocity), DNA integrity, and oxidative stress indices. Sperm was diluted to obtain a spermatozoa density of 5 × 108 cells/mL and exposed for 2 h to final concentrations of TBBPA (0.5, 1.75, 2.5, 5, and 10 μg/L). The oxidative stress indices, including lipid peroxidation, carbonyl derivatives of proteins, and antioxidant activity were significantly higher with increased concentrations of TBBPA. There was significantly less intracellular ATP in sperm samples at TBBPA concentrations of 2.5 μg/L and above. Spermatozoa velocity and percent motile sperm were significantly lower at each sampling time post-activation compared to controls. DNA damage expressed as percent DNA in Tail and Olive Tail moment was significantly higher with exposures ≥2.5 μg/L TBBPA. The results demonstrated that TBBPA and other xenobiotics can induce reactive oxygen species stress in fish spermatozoa, which could impair the sperm quality, DNA integrity, ATP content, and the antioxidant defense system. This study confirmed that fish spermatozoa can be used in in vitro assays for monitoring residual pollution in aquatic environments. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 30: 735–745, 2015.
Methods for Studying the Interactions of Translation Factors with the Ribosome

Understanding the structure of the ribosomal complexes is critical for elucidating the mechanisms of translation, and scientists have been working for decades toward this goal. Cross-linking and footprinting were among the first methods used to probe the interactions of translation factors with the ribosome and the structures of ribosomal complexes. Since publication of the first high-resolution structures, these methods have continued to provide valuable structural information, while complementing and building on results from X-ray crystallography and Cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM). The aim of this chapter is to provide descriptions of the diverse group of experimental methods that yield information about the structure of ribosomal complexes, without being methods for structure determination per se. Biochemical and biophysical methods that provide information about the binding of proteins but not about their ribosomal position will not be discussed, while X-ray crystallography and Cryo-EM are described in Chaps. 1 and 2, respectively. Special emphasis is given to directed hydroxyl radical probing, since this approach can provide not only information about the overall binding site of a translation factor, but also provide low-resolution models for the structure of a complex with the ribosome.
Prediction of Intensity Model Error (PRIME) for Atlantic Basin Tropical Cyclones

AbstractStatistical methods are used to develop the Prediction of Intensity Model Error (PRIME) for both the absolute error and bias of intensity forecasts of Atlantic basin tropical cyclones from 2007 to 2014. These forecasts of forecast error are formulated using a stepwise multiple linear regression framework and are applied to 12–120-h intensity forecasts for the Logistic Growth Equation Model (LGEM), Decay–Statistical Hurricane Intensity Prediction Scheme (DSHP), interpolated Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting Model (HWFI), and interpolated Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GHMI) hurricane model. The predictors selected for the regression are a combination of storm-specific characteristics, synoptic features, and parameters representing initial condition error and atmospheric flow stability.The performance of PRIME is assessed by comparing the predictions of forecast absolute error and bias to the climatology of these quantities for each of the models. Using paired t tests, the errors in...
Using Decision Aids to Improve Auditors' Conditional Probability Judgments

Prior research provides evidence that auditors encounter difficulty in applying the error frequencies they have experienced to judgments of the probability that an audit objective is violated given a particular transaction cycle. This may occur because of a mismatch between the organization of the judgment task (in which transaction cycle is the more important organizing dimension) and the organization of auditors' knowledge (in which audit objective is the more important organizing dimension). We performed an experiment to test the effectiveness of two decision aids in counteracting this difficulty: (1) a checklist-style decision aid which facilitates knowledge retrieval and (2) a decomposition-and-mechanical-aggregation decision aid which facilitates both knowledge retrieval and aggregation. Our results indicate that the checklist aid improved the degree to which auditors' judgments reflected their experienced frequencies to a small degree, but that the mechanical-aggregation aid improved auditors' judgments to a great extent, completely counteracting the effect of the mismatch in dimension importance between task organization and knowledge organization.
Early Interactions of Murine Macrophages with Francisella tularensis Map to Mouse Chromosome 19

ABSTRACT Differences among individuals in susceptibility to infectious diseases can be modulated by host genetics. Much of the research in this field has aimed to identify loci within the host genome that are associated with these differences. In mice, A/J (AJ) and C57BL/6J (B6) mice show differential susceptibilities to various pathogens, including the intracellular pathogen Francisella tularensis. Because macrophages are the main initial target during F. tularensis infection, we explored early interactions of macrophages from these two mouse strains with F. tularensis as well as the genetic factors underlying these interactions. Our results indicate that bacterial interactions with bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) during early stages of infection are different in the AJ and B6 strains. During these early stages, bacteria are more numerous in B6 than in AJ macrophages and display differences in trafficking and early transcriptional response within these macrophages. To determine the genetic basis for these differences, we infected BMDMs isolated from recombinant inbred (RI) mice derived from reciprocal crosses between AJ and B6, and we followed early bacterial counts within these macrophages. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis revealed a locus on chromosome 19 that is associated with early differences in bacterial counts in AJ versus B6 macrophages. QTL analysis of published data that measured the differential susceptibilities of the same RI mice to an in vivo challenge with F. tularensis confirmed the F. tularensis susceptibility QTL on chromosome 19. Overall, our results show that early interactions of macrophages with F. tularensis are dependent on the macrophage genetic background. IMPORTANCE Francisella tularensis is a highly pathogenic bacterium with a very low infectious dose in humans. Some mechanisms of bacterial virulence have been elucidated, but the host genetic factors that contribute to host resistance or susceptibility are largely unknown. In this work, we have undertaken a genetic approach to assess what these factors are in mice. Analyzing early interactions of macrophages with the bacteria as well as data on overall susceptibility to infection revealed a locus on chromosome 19 that is associated with both phenotypes. In addition, our work revealed differences in the early macrophage response between macrophages with different genetic backgrounds. Overall, this work suggests some intriguing links between in vitro and in vivo infection models and should aid in further elucidating the genetic circuits behind the host response to Francisella tularensis infection.
Polycrystalline silicon passivated tunneling contacts for high efficiency silicon solar cells

We apply n- and p-type polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) films on tunneling SiOx to form passivated contacts to n-type Si wafers. The resulting induced emitter and n+/n back surface field junctions of high carrier selectivity and low contact resistivity enable high efficiency Si solar cells. This work addresses the materials science of their performance governed by the properties of the individual layers (poly-Si, tunneling oxide) and more importantly, by the process history of the cell as a whole. Tunneling SiOx layers (<2 nm) are grown thermally or chemically, followed by a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition growth of p+ or n+ doped a-Si:H. The latter is thermally crystallized into poly-Si, resulting in grain nucleation and growth as well as dopant diffusion within the poly-Si and penetration through the tunneling oxide into the Si base wafer. The cell process is designed to improve the passivation of both oxide interfaces and tunneling transport through the oxide. A novel passivation technique involves coating of the passivated contact and whole cell with atomic layer deposited Al2O3 and activating them at 400 °C. The resulting excellent passivation persists after subsequent chemical removal of the Al2O3. The preceding cell process steps must be carefully tailored to avoid structural and morphological defects, as well as to maintain or improve passivation, and carrier selective transport. Furthermore, passivated contact metallization presents significant challenges, often resulting in passivation loss. Suggested remedies include improved Si cell wafer surface morphology (without micropyramids) and postdeposited a-Si:H capping layers over the poly-Si.
The Latin American Mössbauer research community

Interest in Mossbauer spectroscopy among the Latin American countries has increased in the last five years. Two-thirds of the published research is coming from the Mossbauer research groups in Brazil. Other Latin American countries with active Mossbauer research include Argentina, Chile, Columbia, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela. In recent years, the area having the most interest has been the investigation of minerals and high temperature superconductors.
Morphologic Investigation of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River in North-central Pennsylvania

Channel pattern and habitat features in a 32-km stretch of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River in north-central Pennsylvania were mapped to characterize existing features and to assess the geomorphic history of the river. River bed features on the horizontal scale of five meters or greater were mapped using a high resolution 455 kHz Lowrance StructureScan side-scan sonar imager and 83kHz HDS-10 Gen2 depth finder, as well as a Sontek River Surveyor ADCP and DGPS unit to collect over 100,000 depth/location readings. The river was longitudinally traversed in a zigzag fashion with an average cross-sectional spacing of 40 m. The data readings were processed using ArcGIS to produce both sonar image maps (SIMs) and digital bathymetry maps (DBMs) by contouring and gridding the sonar readings and combining them with one-meter terrestrial LiDAR data of the adjacent floodplain areas. The DBMs revealed a variety of bedforms in the channel that are interpreted as larger glacial outwash bedforms with smaller-scale modern flood bedforms superimposed upon them. Bedrock exposed on the channel bed were mapped and surveyed with respect to mid-channel islands. At various locations along the transect, pebble counts were made to characterize the size and nature of the riverbed sediments. Upstream of the Great Bend at Muncy, PA, the suspected location of a Pleistocene glacial ice dam, a five-meter deep channel is incised into the bedrock. The channel morphology data were used with hydraulic modeling to analyze the ability of a range of discharges to move the channel bed sediment, and to hypothesize glacial dam-break events that may have shaped the current features of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River in north-central Pennsylvania.
The Triplet 3 p Complex of the Hydrogen Molecule

Many peculiarities first observed in the Fulcher bands of the hydrogen molecule can be explained by the interaction of the $3p^{3}\ensuremath{\Pi}$ with the $3p^{3}\ensuremath{\Sigma}$ level. Such peculiarities are: irregular $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$-doublings, perturbations in the $3p^{3}\ensuremath{\Pi}$ and $3p^{3}\ensuremath{\Sigma}$ state, and the absence of $P$ and $R$ branches for large values of the vibrational quantum numbers. This last phenomenon is due to the pre-dissociation of the $3p^{3}\ensuremath{\Pi}$ state.
Exploration of Electrophoretic Deposition of YSZ Electrolyte for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

The suspensions of yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) were prepared in pure acetylacetone and ethanol and their mixtures. In all of the suspensions, YSZ thin films were obtained using electrophoretic deposition technique on the substrates of stainless steel and porous strontium-doped lanthanum manganite (LSM) which is a typical cathode materials used in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The deposition behavior in the different suspensions was studied. The deposited films were dried at room temperature and then sintered at high temperature. Observation with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed the sintered YSZ were of high density.
The State and Life Chances in Urban China: Stratification Dynamics and Institutional Transformation

Bad fortune will promote the good; good fortunate, too, gives rise to the bad. Lao Zi In this book, we have examined the forty-five-year history of redistribution and social stratification processes in the People's Republic of China, from 1949 to 1994. We have emphasized the profound impacts of the state and state policies on individual life chances, especially in the form of stratification dynamics. In this concluding chapter, we hope to accomplish two goals. We first consider the implications of stratification dynamics for the crisis of state socialism and for the societal basis of institutional transformation in the Chinese context. On this basis, our second task is to discuss the issues related to the second theme of this book – sources and directions of China's institutional transformation in the post-Mao era. We conclude this chapter and this book with some reflections on the implications of the Chinese experience for understanding social stratification and institutional changes in a comparative perspective. RETHINKING STATE–SOCIETY RELATIONSHIP UNDER STATE SOCIALISM The demise of state socialism is one of the major historical events of the twentieth century. Interestingly, few social science theories have anticipated either the large-scale social protests in the late 1980s or the sudden collapse of the state socialist regimes in the USSR and Eastern Europe. With much hindsight, we can say that an important, missing piece to this puzzle is the role of society in state socialist countries.
Exploring connections between Sparse Fourier Transform computation and decoding of product codes

We show that the recently proposed Fast Fourier Aliasing-based Sparse Transform (FFAST) algorithm for computing the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) [1] of signals with a sparse DFT is equivalent to iterative hard decision decoding of product codes. This connection is used to derive the thresholds for sparse recovery based on a recent analysis by Justensen [2] for computing thresholds for product codes. We first extend Justesen's analysis to d-dimensional product codes and compute thresholds for the FFAST algorithm based on this. Additionally, this connection also allows us to analyze the performance of the FFAST algorithm under a burst sparsity model in addition to the uniformly random sparsity model which was assumed in prior work [1].
Not Just Noise: Genomics and Genetics Bring Long Noncoding RNAs into Focus.

Thousands of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been annotated, yet their functions remain unclear. Recent studies—including Schlackow et al. (2017) in this issue of Molecular Cell—using orthogonal methods investigated the expression and functions of lncRNAs, resulting in deeper appreciation for the salient differences between lncRNAs and mRNAs and the roles lncRNAs serve.
Is this the end for Facebook? A mathematical analysis

Since the early 2000s, one of the most popular uses of the Internet has been for online social networking. Since 2009, the most popular online social network has been Facebook; roughly 80% of Internet users worldwide have a Facebook account as of the end of 2014. However, in early 2014, Princeton University graduate students Cannarella and Spechler released a manuscript which claimed that Facebook would decline in popularity to essential death by the end of 2017. This claim was based on results obtained from an adaptation of the classic SIR epidemic model. In this paper, we will explore a modified version of this model to take into account a changing population size and the possibility of people leaving the social network, but later returning, and compare this model and its results to those of the original model to either confirm or deny the result that Facebook will fade to obscurity by the end of 2017.
Radiation therapy for localized malignant pleural mesothelioma: a propensity score-matched analysis of the National Cancer Data Base

The objectives of this study were to analyze rates of radiation therapy (RT) utilization for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) and evaluate the association between RT and overall survival (OS). The National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) was queried to identify patients with non-metastatic MPM diagnosed between 2004 and 2013. RT was defined as receipt of 40-65Gy of external beam radiation therapy to the chest wall, lungs, or pleura. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify predictors of RT receipt. OS was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Propensity score matching was performed to verify the effect of RT on OS. Among 14,090 MPM patients, 3.6% received RT. Younger age, lower co-morbidity score, private insurance, surgical resection, and receipt of chemotherapy were associated with increased RT utilization. Patients who received RT had higher crude 2 and 5-year OS rates (33.9 and 12.6%, respectively) compared to patients who did not (19.5 and 5.3%, respectively; p < 0.001). In multivariable analysis and propensity matched analysis, definitive RT was significantly associated with improved survival (adjusted hazard ratio [adj HR] 0.78, 95% CI 0.70–0.87) and (adj HR 0.77, 95% CI 0.67–0.89), respectively. Compared to no therapy, surgery and RT (adj HR 0.41, 95% CI 0.31–0.54) and trimodality therapy (adj HR 0.47, 95% CI 0.40–0.55) were associated with the best survival. The rate of RT utilization for non-metastatic MPM has remained low over the past decade. Patients who received RT had improved OS. Combined modality therapy was associated with a greater improvement in survival than single modality treatment.
Making Computer Science Attractive to High School Girls with Computational Thinking Approaches: A Case Study

Computational thinking is a fundamental skill that extends beyond computer science. Conceptually it involves logic, algorithms, patterns, abstraction, and evaluation. The approach for developing a computational mind-set may involve experimenting, creating, debugging, and collaborating. Due to certain implicit biases and societal and cultural factors, girls may not be exposed to these computational thinking concepts and approaches. This has resulted in a decrease in the number of women in computer science since the 1980s. This chapter summarizes some of the challenges faced when teaching introductory computer science to high school girls and the approaches taken to overcome those challenges.
Complex Patent Litigation: Limiting Length and Limiting Intricacy

Patent litigation poses a variety of challenges to the envisioned efficiency of trial. Such cases involve a high number of issues, unnecessary claim construction proceedings, difficulty interpreting the actual issues at play, and high-stakes for the parties involved. These parties (and in particular patent holders) are also encouraged by empirical trends in patent litigation to both seek jury trials and appeal after a verdict in a lower court. Generally, patent holders experience significantly more success with jury trials than a bench trial and that success rate is augmented by the fact that juries traditionally award much more in damages than a judge. Parties are also encouraged to appeal based on the Federal Circuit’s reversal rate of approximately 80%. Problems stemming from the complexity and length of patent litigation are further exacerbated by the differential knowledge between counsel and the bench. The attorneys involved in the case are often experts in the subject matter of the patent because they hold a technical degree and/or their firm originally prosecuted the patent while the judge may have a limited technical background, if any at all. The present paper seeks to address these problems by better enabling the bench. I argue that judges need to be empowered with a better understanding of the specific issues in each patent case as early as possible. Once possessed of this knowledge, judges also need tools to place limitations on non-critical claims in a manner that does not raise, or can avert any constitutional problems. Furthermore, once the relevant claims are selected, the court should consider potentially dispositive issues early in the case through Markman hearings. In order to better manage complex patent litigation, where judges may have little technical training and the attorneys involved are often experts on the relevant subject matter, the district courts and Federal Circuit should formalize and rely on technical tutorials and claim limitation procedures that do not infringe upon constitutional rights so it is possible to conduct Markman hearings and settle potentially dispositive issues early in litigation. Finally, this paper argues all these judicial techniques should be utilized in conjunction with discovery reform, and in particular staging litigation.
MIZAN: A Large Persian-English Parallel Corpus

One of the most major and essential tasks in natural language processing is machine translation that is now highly dependent upon multilingual parallel corpora. Through this paper, we introduce the biggest Persian-English parallel corpus with more than one million sentence pairs collected from masterpieces of literature. We also present acquisition process and statistics of the corpus, and experiment a base-line statistical machine translation system using the corpus.
Planning Abilities in Bilingual and Monolingual Children: Role of Verbal Mediation

We examined the role of verbal mediation in planning performance of English-Spanish-speaking bilingual children and monolingual English-speaking children, between the ages of 9 and 12 years. To measure planning, children were administered the Tower of London (ToL) task. In a dual-task paradigm, children completed ToL problems under three conditions: with no secondary task (baseline), with articulatory suppression, and with non-verbal motor suppression. Analyses revealed generally shorter planning times for bilinguals than monolinguals but both groups performed similarly on number of moves and execution times. Additionally, bilingual children were more efficient at planning throughout the duration of the task while monolingual children showed significant gains with more practice. Children's planning times under articulatory suppression were significantly shorter than under motor suppression as well as the baseline condition, and there was no difference in planning times between monolingual and bilingual children during articulatory suppression. These results demonstrate that bilingualism influences performance on a complex EF measure like planning, and that these effects are not related to verbal mediation.
ITiCSE 2018 preview

ITiCSE 2018, to be held in Larnaka, Cyprus and hosted by the University of Central Lancashire, Cyprus (UCLan Cyprus) is shaping up to be a truly international event of the highest caliber. Consider the following statistics. Approximately one third of the 193 submitted full paper manuscripts had at least one author affiliated with a USA-based institution. Similarly, one third of the submissions had at least one author affiliated with an institution outside of both the USA and Europe. About 45% of the submissions had at least one author affiliated with a European institution. The sum of these percentages exceeds 100% due to 23 submissions co-authored by researchers from multiple countries. This fills out a "standard" ITiCSE program of two and half days of three parallel sessions with 56 accepted manuscripts yielded an acceptance rate of 29%; this is the second lowest in ITiCSE history! Only ITiCSE 2007, in Dundee, Scotland had a lower acceptance rate (28.9%)
Effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation frequency on muscles of the tongue.

Introduction Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) for the treatment of swallowing disorders is delivered at a variety of stimulation frequencies. We examined the effects of stimulation frequency on tongue muscle plasticity in an aging rat model. Methods Eighty-six young, middle-aged, and old rats were assigned to either bilateral hypoglossal nerve stimulation at 10 or 100 Hz (5 days/week, 8 weeks), sham, or no-implantation conditions. Muscle contractile properties and myosin heavy chain (MyHC) composition were determined for hyoglossus (HG) and styloglossus (SG) muscles. Results Eight weeks of 100-Hz stimulation resulted in the greatest changes in muscle contractile function with significantly longer contraction and half-decay times, the greatest reduction in fatigue, and a transition toward slowly contracting, fatigue-resistant MyHC isoforms. Discussion NMES at 100-Hz induced considerable changes in contractile and phenotypic profiles of HG and SG muscles, suggesting higher frequency NMES may yield a greater therapeutic effect. Muscle Nerve, 2018.
Management of complexity in enterprise integration projects by the PERA methodology

The issue of the presentation and management of complexity is one of the most important aspects of the development and use of enterprise reference architectures and their associated methodologies. There is a limit to the degree of detail that any level of decision-making can comprehend adequately. As the breadth of vision of a decision expands the degree of detail must be correspondingly reduced. It is thus impossible to present every detail of any real world problem. The presentation has to be based on the principle of minimal complexity at any point. Therefore, the formalism of an enterprise reference architecture needs only to capture the most important factors at each stage of complexity. A hierarchical approach is thus inevitable. This article proposes a four-level formalism as a hierarchical model for use in further studies on the presentation of complexity management. These four levels include architectural, interface, design tool and semantic methods. The impact of complexity management on workflow design for enterprise integration is also discussed.
CEO educational background and acquisition targets selection

Abstract Using hand-collected CEO education data of 3574 CEOs over the period of 2000 to 2015, we document that CEOs are significantly more likely to acquire targets that are headquartered in those states where the CEOs received their undergraduate and graduate degrees. Education-state deals are larger, have higher completion rates, and exist with both public and private targets. Acquirers pay a lower target premium for education-state deals and the cumulative abnormal announcement returns are positive. The combined evidence suggests that education-state acquisitions are more likely to be driven by bidder CEO's information advantage toward firms headquartered in the education state.
A first report of robotic-assisted sentinel lymph node mapping and inguinal lymph node dissection, using near-infared fluorescence, in vulvar cancer.

e17027Background: Vulvar carcinoma is a rare gynecologic malignancy which has seen a considerable evolution in surgical techniques over the last several decades. However, the morbidity associated w...
Copper(ii) complexes for cysteine detection using 19F magnetic resonance.

Cysteine plays an essential role in maintaining cellular redox homeostasis and perturbations in cysteine concentration are associated with cardiovascular disease, liver disease, and cancer. 19F MRI is a promising modality for detecting cysteine in biology due to its high tissue penetration and negligible biological background signal. Herein we report fluorinated macrocyclic copper complexes that display a 19F NMR/MRI turn-on response following reduction of the Cu(II) complexes by cysteine. The reactivity with cysteine was studied by monitoring the appearance of a robust diamagnetic 19F signal following addition of cysteine in conjunction with UV-vis and EPR spectroscopies. Importantly, complexes with –CH2CF3 tags display good water solubility. Studies with this complex in HeLa cells demonstrate the applicability of these probes to detect cysteine in complex biological environments.
Grammar matters: The tainting effect of grammar usage errors on judgments of competence and character

Abstract The human tendency to judge another person's personality traits can be prompted by as little as a snapshot of that person, and such judgments can have consequences for future interactions (Snyder, Tanke, & Berscheid, 1977). We tested the hypothesis that people make judgments about others' personality traits – particularly those desired by employers – on the basis of their written grammar usage. In the study, community adults read a hypothetical job application cover letter and then rated the applicant on a variety of dimensions. Unbeknownst to the participants, there were three cover letters that held the same content but differed in their rate of surface-level grammar usage errors (no errors; an average error rate of 2/100 words; or a high error rate of 4/100 words). Participants who read a letter that contained grammar usage errors downgraded the applicant's writing as well as their standing on personality traits such as capable, hard-working, and team-oriented. The effects were consistent and imply that people should attend to their grammar usage if they want to make a positive first impression. We propose that the effects we documented are due to actual associations between the quality of individuals' grammar competence and their conscientiousness and intelligence.
The Impact of Personal Income Tax Structure on Income Inequality for Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Lithuania, and Poland: A Comparison of Flat and Graduated Income Tax Structures

The level of income inequality in a country is usually a contentious and politically divisive issue. How the tax structure affects this inequality is of crucial concern to policymakers. In this paper, we examine the income tax experiences of five European Union countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Lithuania, and Poland. This paper focuses on the comparison between flat and graduated personal income tax rate structures. Various methods were used to measure the progressivity of income taxes across these countries such as the average tax rate, cumulative shares of income, and the Gini and other indices. The findings show that the graduated rate income tax structure of Germany and Belgium are the most effective at reducing inequality. On the other hand, Lithuania’s proportional income tax structure is much more effective at reducing income inequality when compared to the graduated rate structure of Poland. Also, an appropriately-sized income tax threshold can transform a flat structure to a redistributive one that compares favorably with some graduated rate structures. In the case of Bulgaria, introducing an income tax threshold that is roughly the size of average income would reduce inequality by about 4 %.