cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rates of return to sorghum and millet research investments: A meta-analysis.

Sorghum and millet grow in some of the most heterogeneous and austere agroecologies around the world. These crops are amongst the top five cereal sources of food and feed. Yet, few studies document the impact of sorghum and millet genetic enhancement. The Internal Rate of Return (ROR) is one of the most popular metrics used to measure the economic return on investment on agricultural research and development (R&D). This study conducted a meta-analysis of 59 sorghum and millet ROR estimates obtained from 25 sources published between 1958 and 2015. The average rate of return to sorghum and millet R&D investment is between 54–76 percent per year. All studies computed social rather than private RORs because the technologies were developed using public funds originating from host country National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) and international organizations such as the INTSORMIL CRSP, ICRISAT and others. Nearly three quarter of the studies focused only on sorghum (72 percent) and around one tenth of the studies (8 percent) on millet. Regression models analyzed the determinants of variation in the reported RORs. Results show that ex-ante type and self-evaluated type of analyses are positively and significantly associated with the ROR estimates. Compared to estimates conducted by a university, results from international institutions and other mixed organizations provided significantly smaller estimates. Estimates conducted at national level also are significantly lower than those conducted at sub-national levels. The ROR is higher for studies conducted in the United States and for those conducted more recently. The study also reconstructed modified internal rate of return (MIRR) for a sub-sample of the reported RORs following recent methods from the literature. These results show that the MIRR estimates are significantly smaller than the reported ROR estimates. Both results indicate that investment in sorghum and millet research generates high social rates of return.
Feasibility analysis of genetically-encoded calcium indicators as a neural signal source for all-optical brain-machine interfaces

Optical techniques such as two-photon (2p) calcium imaging have the potential to transform the way we interrogate neural circuits, both in the realm of basic neuroscience and in the development of brain-machine interfaces (BMIs). This may be possible by overcoming some of the limitations of electrophysiological methods. Here we ask if optical imaging signals, in particular 2p GCaMP6 calcium imaging signals, can benefit BMIs despite their relatively long activity-response time constants, low signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), and slow acquisition frame rates. We employed motor cortical electrode array recordings as the basis for generating synthetic 2p GCaMP signals. We then decoded movement kinematics from these surrogate data using a state-of-the-art BMI decoder algorithm. We found that it was possible to decode the position and velocity of the hand from synthetic imaging signals. We quantified the decoder performance using standard mean squared errors (MSEs) and Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) measures. Decode quality varied considerably as a function of SNR and the frame rate of data acquisition. Future computational and experimental research is required to quantify SNR more accurately and to increase the imaging frame rate while maintaining high SNR, in order to improve all-optical BMI (o-BMI) performance. This study should help establish the feasibility and design space of o-BMIs.
A comparative study of the inhibitory effects of three plants extract; Piper guinenese (Uziza), Tapinathus bangnensis (Awuse) and Xylopia aethiopicum (Uda) on the viability and proliferation of three cancer cell lines; prostate cancer cell line (PC-3), lung cancer cell line (HTB-182) and head and neck cancer cell line (SCC-25)

1933 Drugs and food supplements used for the treatment of various diseases originated from natural plant products. Research on plants used crude in developing countries for various medicinal purposes is increasing. In this research, we studied the inhibitory effects of crude soluble extracts from the leaves and seeds of three tropical plants, Piper guinenese, Tapinathus bangnensis and Xylopia aethiopicum on cancer cell lines. The cancer cell lines studied were: Prostate (PC-3), Head & Neck (SCC-25) and Lung (HTB-182).The preliminary anticarcinogenic screening of the plants extract on the cancer cell lines was carried out using Alamar blue and Mitochondria dehydrogenase (MTT) cytotoxicity assays with exposures of 24, 48 and 72hrs. Alamar blue cytotoxicity assay showed that 100ug/ml of the crude soluble extract from the plant; Tapinathus bangnensis had inhibitory effects of 40 and 35 percent on the proliferation of PC-3 and SCC-25 cells after 72 hours exposure. Piper guinenese extract had similar inhibitory effects on the two cell lines. Whereas the inhibition of proliferation from Xylopia aethiopicum on the two cell lines was 35 and 80 percent respectively. However all the three plants extract had minimal inhihitory effects on HTB-182. DNA studies using flow cytometry analyses of the treated cancer cells showed cell cycle arrest at the G 2 /M phase after 24, 48 and 72 hours. This was followed by combined Propidium Iodide staining and Annexin V FITC assay to confirm the induction of apoptosis. Results show that Xylopia aethiopicum induced a time dependent apoptosis of 75 and 90 percent in PC-3 and SCC-25 cell lines at 72 hours respectively. Whereas Tapinathus bangnensis extracts gave an induction of apoptosis of 85 percent on PC-3 cell lines after 72hrs exposure. There was induction of apoptosis by the three different plants extract on HTB-182 cell line at 48 and 72 hours but not comparable to the other cell lines. The extracts from Piper guinenses induced apoptosis minimally in PC-3, but had an apoptotic effect of 70 and 75 percent at 48 and 72 hour exposures in SCC-25 cells. Anticarcinogenic agents in natural plant products should compare well to the synthetic chemotherapeutic agents used in cancer treatments because they are already incorporated naturally in food and are not toxic to normal cells. It is hoped that the consumption of these natural products as part of normal food will help to prevent and reduce the incidence of cancer diseases.
Avelumab: A Review of Its Application in Metastatic Merkel Cell Carcinoma.

Objective: To summarize the clinical development of avelumab and its clinical relevance in metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). Data Sources: An English-language literature search using PubMed w...
COX-2 mediates pro-tumorigenic effects of PKCε in prostate cancer.

The pro-oncogenic kinase PKCe is overexpressed in human prostate cancer and cooperates with loss of the tumor suppressor Pten for the development of prostatic adenocarcinoma. However, the effectors driving PKCe-mediated phenotypes remain poorly defined. Here, using cellular and mouse models, we showed that PKCe overexpression acts synergistically with Pten loss to promote NF-κB activation and induce cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression, phenotypic traits which are also observed in human prostate tumors. Targeted disruption of PKCe from prostate cancer cells impaired COX-2 induction and PGE2 production. Notably, COX-2 inhibitors selectively killed prostate epithelial cells overexpressing PKCe, and this ability was greatly enhanced by Pten loss. Long-term COX-2 inhibition markedly reduced adenocarcinoma formation, as well as angiogenesis in a mouse model of prostate-specific PKCe expression and Pten loss. Overall, our results provide strong evidence for the involvement of the canonical NF-κB pathway and its target gene COX2 as PKCe effectors, and highlight the potential of PKCe as a useful biomarker for the use of COX inhibition for chemopreventive and/or chemotherapeutic purposes in prostate cancer.
Leveraging simulation data for learning a patient-specific model to localize the origin of ventricular activation

A data-driven model able to automatically localize the origin of abnormal ventricular activation from electrocardiograms will have the potential to improve clinical interventions for a variety of cardiac arrhythmias, such as premature ventricular contraction (PVC). Unfortunately, due to the large anatomical and physiological variations across individuals, a patient-specific model is necessary for an accurate localization. Such models are difficult to implement in clinical practice because the training data on each patient have to be obtained through invasive and expensive procedures. This paper proposes to overcome this shortage of clinical data by transferring the knowledge extracted from a large set of patient-specific simulation data to a small set of clinical data on the patient. A domain adaption approach is used to learn the "domain shift" between simulation and clinical data, while a novel error modeling method is developed to take into account potential simulation errors during domain adaption. The presented method is evaluated on three PVC patients. In comparison to training a patient-specific model purely from clinical data, or a combination of simulation and clinical data without considering domain shift, the presented method is able to improve the localization accuracy, especially when there is only a small number of clinical data available for training.
Family Life Education for Persons with Developmental Disabilities

Through the development and evaluation of the Family Life Education Trainer's Manual, the author sought to address the human sexuality needs of moderately and severely developmentally disabled people and to increase the comfort and confidence of parents, teachers, and service providers in their role as sex educators. Evaluation included various aspects of the manual as well as reviewers' attitudes toward the sexual behavior of developmentally disabled people. Teachers, parents, and service providers rated the manual in the good-to-excellent range regarding its potential effectiveness as a training tool. Although parents had the least liberal attitudes, they nevertheless viewed the manual as an effective tool. Readers expressed reservations about the level of the materials for the severely disabled.
Historical Perspective of Raynaud’s Phenomenon

Cold-induced vasospastic attacks of the fingers have been described since the eighteenth century. In 1862, Maurice Raynaud reported in his medical school graduation thesis a group of patients with spontaneous gangrene of the extremities and a history of vasospastic attacks. In such patients, fingers or toes turned white upon cold exposure or emotional stress, then cyanotic, and finally hyperemic and red when circulation was restored. Raynaud’s work was translated into English in 1888 and Raynaud’s phenomenon progressively became a worldwide used term to describe vasospastic attacks. In 1932, Allen and Brown defined the first set of classification criteria to differentiate primary Raynaud’s disease from secondary Raynaud’s phenomenon.
Biosynthesis of natural rubber (NR) in different rubber-producing species

Abstract: Rubber biosynthesis in plants underpins the production of this strategically vital polymer. A fundamental understanding of the regulation of rate and polymer quality is essential to the development of alternate rubber-producing crops and new rubber materials with novel properties. Alternate rubber crops are needed to meet the projected shortfalls in global rubber production caused by the burgeoning economies of China and india.
Training staff in a virtual unit.

119Background: Nebraska Medicine, a 600 bed academic medical center, had 24 inpatient oncology beds. In order to grow the oncology population, planning for the Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center...
Energetic and exergetic analysis of a multi-stage turbine, coal-fired 173 MW power plant

This paper reports the results of an energy and exergy audit of a 173 MW pulverised coal fired, subcritical steam power plant unit in the Midwestern USA. Energy and exergy analysis determined the thermal efficiency and identified the greatest sources of irreversibilities and also mapped the flow of energy and exergy throughout the plant. The overall plant energetic and exergetic efficiencies were found to be 32.8% and 33.7%, respectively. The largest source of exergy destruction in the cycle was found to be within the steam generator. Options explored to increase the exergetic efficiency were to improve the steam turbines to operate with higher temperature steam, to bring water into the condenser from the lake that is closer to the ambient temperature, and to replace a valve after the boiler feedwater pump with a hydro-turbine to produce some power.
The Intergenerational Persistence of Self-Employment across China’s Planned Economy Era

Children whose parents were self-employed before China’s socialist transformation were more likely to become self-employed after the economic reform, even though they had no direct exposure to thei...
The prognostic significance of aortic lymph node metastasis in endometrial cancer: Potential implications for selective aortic lymph node assessment.

Abstract Objectives To evaluate the prognostic impact of aortic vs. pelvic lymph node (LN) metastasis among women with endometrial cancer (EC). Methods Using data from the SEER 18 Registries we identified 3650 women with LN positive (stage IIIC) EC. We used Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests to compare mortality between women with stage IIIC1 and IIIC2 disease. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between stage III sub-stage (IIIC1 vs. IIIC2) and survival. Results Endometrioid tumors were more common among women with stage IIIC1 than IIIC2 tumors (62.5% vs. 54.3%) while, non-endometrioid histologies were more common among stage IIIC2. In the multivariable model, stage IIIC2 was associated with higher all-cause (HR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.22–1.69) and EC-specific mortality (HR = 1.49, 95% CI = 1.25–1.77) compared with IIIC1. Women with non-endometrioid EC had poor survival, in particular, women with carcinosarcomas had higher EC-specific mortality compared to women with endometrioid EC (HR = 3.32, 95% CI = 2.71–4.07). When stratifying women according to substage, older age and non-endometrioid histology were associated with higher EC-specific mortality. Compared to women with a pelvic-only LN dissection, women with pelvic and aortic dissections had lower all-cause (HR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.63–0.88) and EC-specific (HR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.66–0.95) mortality. Conclusion Women with aortic LN positive EC are more likely to die from their disease. Older women and non-endometrioid histologies are more likely to have aortic LN involvement. Compared to women with a pelvic-only LN dissection, women with pelvic and aortic dissections had lower EC mortality.
Supine to prone colon registration and visualization based on optimal mass transport

Abstract Registration and visualization of surfaces play a significant role in the engineering and medical fields. Especially in virtual colonoscopy (VC), an efficient and robust registration method between supine and prone computed tomography (CT) scans is highly desirable, due to the fact that it helps improve polyp detection rates. However, supine and prone colon registration is still a challenging task due to the large distortion in colon shape. In this work, we present a novel registration and visualization framework for supine and prone colon scans using the optimal mass transport (OMT) theory. The proposed novel method enables parameterization of the colon surface onto the planar rectangle domain for better registration and visualization. Also, we develop novel flattened visualization of the colon wall with magnification of polyps using color-coded distance change in the 2D map. Experimental results validate our proposed registration method and demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of our method.
Altered balance between the 5 alpha-reductase and aromatase pathways of androgen metabolism during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation with human menopausal gonadotropins.

Purpose: To evaluate androgen production and metabolism during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation. Methods: Five women, aged 33–42, were studied. All participants were undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist and human menopausal gonadotropins. Serum estradiol, estrone, androstenedione, testosterone, 3α-androstanediol glucuronide, and sex hormone-binding globulin levels were measured at 6 time points during the cycle. Results: The levels of all steroids increased significantly from baseline during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation. Mean total testosterone levels increased from 0.29 ± 0.05 ng/mL to 0.58 ± 0.07 ng/mL after gonadotropin stimulation. Sex hormone-binding gonadotropin levels increased from 50 ± 16 nM to 73 ± 12 nM after gonadotropin stimulation. Estrone/androstenedione and estradiol/testosterone ratios, reflecting the aromatase pathway, increased whereas 3α-androstanediol glucuronide/androstenedione and 3α-androstanediol glucuronide/testosterone ratios, reflecting 5α-reductase activity, decreased. Conclusions: Controlled ovarian hyperstimulation with human menopausal gonadotropins results in increased serum testosterone and androstenedione levels. Whereas there is an enhancement in androgen metabolism by aromatase, 5α-reductase activity with regard to androgen metabolism is diminished.
Structural behavior of bolted steel lap shear connections with thermally insulating filler plates

Abstract Non-steel filler plates consisting of thermally insulating materials are used in steel connections to reduce thermal bridging. This research study evaluated the structural behavior of bolted lap shear connections with such materials by means of experimental load testing and finite element (FE) modeling. The main focus of this study is the ultimate strength of the connection, but the slip critical behavior was studied as well to give a more complete understanding of the connection response. Eight specimens having steel and polypropylene (PP) filler plates of various thicknesses were tested in the laboratory and the collected measurements were utilized for numerical validation of a FE model. Subsequently, three parametric studies were conducted using the validated FE models to provide insight into the general behavior of connections with a variety of filler plates that could be used as thermal breaks. In addition, an extreme notional case of filler plates having no strength and stiffness was also considered. This paper presents the experimental program and the FE model, discusses the parametric study evaluating a range of potential filler plate materials, and compares them with existing design code and other equations proposed in the literature. A lower strength reduction factor is recommended for PP as compared to steel filler plates.
Wash Life Durability Analysis of a Printed Cooling Technology on Cotton Textiles

In order to absorb heat and cool the skin, PCMs are often encapsulated in a polymer shell and applied as a finish to the surface of the fabric. To understand the durability and performance of a PCM finish on multiple cotton fabrications a wash life analysis study was performed. Two 100% cotton textiles with a printed phase change material finish were evaluated – a jersey single knit fabric and a woven twill fabric. Six 15’’x15’’ specimens from the gray 100% cotton jersey knit fabric and six 15’’x15’’ specimens from the tan 100% cotton woven twill fabric were tested. Specimens were evaluated for dimensional stability, colorfastness, crocking, abrasion resistance, soil release, and smoothness retention according to AATCC and ASTM standard test methods. Overall results demonstrate the finish is durable in terms of appearance retention regardless of the cotton fabrication substrate (woven or knit). The moisture management performance, however, did differ significantly.
Role of thalidomide, senicapoc, and sodium butyrate in choroidal neovascularization.

Abstract Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) is the hallmark of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of irreversible blindness in the modern world. The objective for this study was to investigate the therapeutic potential of known antiangiogenic agents: thalidomide, senicapoc, and sodium butyrate. Dose-dependent effect of the agents on growth of ARPE-19 cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was investigated with cell counting assays. Half-maximal inhibitory concentrations of thalidomide (765 μM and 1520 μM), senicapoc (50 μM and 79 μM), and sodium butyrate (933 μM and 557 μM) were determined for HUVECs and ARPE-19 cells, respectively. Immunofluorescence analysis showed decrease of VEGFA expression in both ARPE-19 cells and HUVECs after treatment only with thalidomide but not with senicapoc or sodium butyrate. Efficacy of the agents was studied in vivo with laser-induced CNV in C57BL/6 mice. Thalidomide (24 μg), senicapoc (4 μg), or sodium butyrate (100 μg) was intravitreally injected the day after CNV induction. Thalidomide, senicapoc, and sodium butyrate inhibited CNV size by 56%, 24%, and 21% respectively on day 7 post-laser. Thalidomide also reduced cobalt chloride induced increase of VEGFA mRNA in ARPE-19 (−33%) and protein in culture medium (−20%). Our results suggest that thalidomide may have more therapeutic potential than senicapoc or sodium butyrate for treatment of CNV or wet AMD.
Depression and suicidal behavior in young adult men and women with ADHD: evidence from claims data

OBJECTIVE This study used commercial claims data to examine the effects of ADHD and sex on the prevalence of depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts in a sample of young adult men and women (aged 18-25 years) with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Patterns of treatment use for these conditions was also explored. METHODS Young adults with ADHD (162,263 women and 225,705 men) having at least 2 claims with the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9), code for ADHD and a sex- and age-matched group of young adults without an ICD-9 code for ADHD (162,263 women and 225,705 men) were identified. The prevalence of ICD-9 depression and suicidal behavior along with the use and cost of related treatment were compared between young adults with and without ADHD using 2014 claims data. RESULTS Compared to young adults without ADHD, young adults with ADHD were more frequently identified with depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts. Depression and suicidal ideation were identified more frequently among women with ADHD compared to all other groups. Young adults with ADHD were more frequently engaged in outpatient and inpatient mental health care compared to young adults without ADHD (P < .0001 in each instance). Furthermore, overall costs of outpatient and inpatient care were greater among young adults with ADHD compared to young adults without ADHD (P < .0001 in each instance). CONCLUSIONS These findings highlight the substantial burden of depression and suicidal behavior among young adults with ADHD, particularly women, and underlie the need for more research focused on mitigating risk for depression and suicidal behavior among both men and women with ADHD.
Surgical Treatment of Isolated Meniscal Tears in Competitive Male Wrestlers: Reoperations, Outcomes, and Return to Sport.

Background:Wrestlers are highly active, young athletes prone to meniscal injuries that often require surgery. However, there is a lack of data evaluating the results of meniscal repair or partial m...
The influence of collaboration on attitudes towards English vocabulary learning

viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 Statement of the Problem 1 Objective and Scope of the Study 3 Research Questions 4 Structure of the Study 5 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 6 The Role of Vocabulary in Second Language Acquisition 6 Defining Vocabulary Knowledge: From receptive to active and beyond 9 Issues in the Assessment of Vocabulary Knowledge 13 Dominant Learning Models in Second Language Vocabulary Instruction 18 Foundational Vocabulary Instruction Models 19 Keyword Method 22 Depths of Processing Model 23 Deliberate Teaching of Vocabulary 24 Vocabulary Learning through Context 25
Renal denervation attenuates the enhanced activation of the paraventricular nucleus in heart failure: restoring nNOS! (1130.10)

Previously we have shown that activated paraventricular nucleus (PVN) contributes to the sympatho-excitation in chronic heart failure (HF). Afferent renal nerves project to neurons in several brain areas, including the PVN, that are involved in the regulation of the cardiovascular system. The purpose of the present study was to determine if the activation of the PVN was mediated by afferent renal nerves. Chronic HF was induced by left coronary ligation surgery for 3-4 weeks and rats were surgically renal denervated (RDN) for 2 weeks. RDN resulted in reduced levels of urinary norepinephrine excretion in rats with HF compared with sham-operated control rats. RDN resulted in reduced levels of FosB staining in the PVN in rats with HF. RDN also resulted in restoration of nNOS levels (NOS histochemistry and nNOS immunostaining) in the PVN of rats with HF. We observed that microinjections of L-NMMA (NOS inhibitor) into the PVN induced a significant smaller increase in lumbar sympathetic nerve activity in anaesth...
Paediatric Crohn disease patients with stricturing behaviour exhibit ileal granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) autoantibody production and reduced neutrophil bacterial killing and GM-CSF bioactivity

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) autoantibodies are associated with stricturing behaviour in Crohn disease (CD). We hypothesized that CD ileal lamina propria mononuclear cells (LPMC) would produce GM-CSF autoantibodies and peripheral blood (PB) samples would contain GM-CSF neutralizing capacity (NC). Paediatric CD and control PBMC and ileal biopsies or LPMC were isolated and cultured and GM-CSF, immunoglobulin (Ig)G and GM-CSF autoantibodies production were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Basal and GM-CSF-primed neutrophil bacterial killing and signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) tyrosine phosphorylation (pSTAT5) were measured by flow cytometry. GM-CSF autoantibodies were enriched within total IgG for LPMC isolated from CD ileal strictures and proximal margins compared to control ileum. Neutrophil bacterial killing was reduced in CD patients compared to controls. Within CD, neutrophil GM-CSF-dependent STAT5 activation and bacterial killing were reduced as GM-CSF autoantibodies increased. GM-CSF stimulation of pSTAT5 did not vary between controls and CD patients in washed PB granulocytes in which serum was removed. However, GM-CSF stimulation of pSTAT5 was reduced in whole PB samples from CD patients. These data were used to calculate the GM-CSF NC. CD patients with GM-CSF NC greater than 25% exhibited a fourfold higher rate of stricturing behaviour and surgery. The likelihood ratio (95% confidence interval) for stricturing behaviour for patients with elevation in both GM-CSF autoantibodies and GM-CSF NC was equal to 5 (2, 11). GM-CSF autoantibodies are produced by LPMC isolated from CD ileal resection specimens and are associated with reduced neutrophil bacterial killing. CD peripheral blood contains GM-CSF NC, which is associated with increased rates of stricturing behaviour.
The Rhetoric of Racial Profiling

In 1988 racial profiling - the term, not the practice - was unknown. By 2000, twelve years later, everyone, from George Bush to Jesse Jackson, agreed that racial profiling is anathema. In this essay I review the brief and turbulent public career of racial profiling: its origins in hijacker and drug courier profiling, its flowering as a central aspect of drug interdiction on the highway, the ultimately successful efforts to expose and end that practice, and the political backlash it unleashed. Since 1999, no major American political figure has risked endorsing racial profiling, not even after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, although some programs they support fit the definition. Now that it is an acknowledged evil, many police departments work hard to avoid claims of racial profiling, while on the other side complainants in a host of contexts use the term to describe an extraordinary range of conduct. Along the way racial profiling may have become less common, but it has not disappeared.
Search and decoding strategies for complex lexical modeling in lvcsr

The language model (LM) in most state-of-the-art large vocabulary continuous speech recognition (LVCSR) systems is still the n-gram. A major reason for using such simple LMs, besides the ease of estimating them from text, is computational complexity. It is also true, however, that long-span LMs, be they due to a higher n-gram order, or because they take syntactic, semantic, discourse and other long-distance dependencies into account, are much more accurate than low-order n-grams. The standard practice is to carry out a first pass of decoding using, say, a 3-gram LM to generate a lattice, and to rescore only the hypotheses in the lattice with a higher order LM. But even the search space defined by a lattice is intractable for many long-span LMs. In such cases, only the N-best full-utterance hypotheses from the lattice are extracted for evaluation. However, the N-best lists so produced, tend to be "baised" towards the model producing them, making the re-scoring sub-optimal, especially if the re-scoring model is complementary to the initial n-gram model. For this reason, we seek ways to incorporate information from long-span LMs by searching in a more unbiased search space. In this thesis, we first present strategies to combine many complex long and short span language models to form a much superior unified model of language. We then show how this unified model of language can be incorporated for re-scoring dense word graphs, using a novel search technique, thus alleviating the necessity of sub-optimal N-best list re-scoring. We also present an approach based on the idea of variational inference, virtue of which, long-span models are efficiently approximated by some tractable but faithful models, allowing for the incorporation of long distance information directly into the first-pass decoding. We have validated the methods proposed in this thesis on many standard and competitive speech recognition tasks, sometimes outperforming state-of-the-art results. We hope that these methods will be useful for research with long span language models not only in speech recognition but also in other areas of natural language processing such as machine translation, where even there the decoding is limited to n-gram language models.
Friendship trumps ethnicity (but not sexual orientation): Comfort and discomfort in inter-group interactions

An experience sampling study tested the degree to which interactions with out-group members evoked negative affect and behavioural inhibition after controlling for level of friendship between partners. When friendship level was statistically controlled, neither White nor Black participants reported feeling more discomfort interacting with ethnic out-group members compared to ethnic in-group members. When partners differed in sexual orientation, friendship level had a less palliating effect. Controlling for friendship, both gay and straight men – but not women – felt more behaviourally inhibited when interacting with someone who differed in sexual orientation, and heterosexual participants of both genders continued to report more negative affect with gay and lesbian interaction partners. However, gay and lesbian participants reported similar levels of negative affect interacting with in-group (homosexual) and out-group (heterosexual) members after friendship level was controlled. Results suggest that much of the discomfort observed in inter-ethnic interactions may be attributable to lower levels of friendship with out-group partners. The discomfort generated by differences in sexual orientation, however, remains a more stubborn barrier to comfortable inter-group interactions.
Chemical Interaction During Deep Well Recharge, Bay Park, New Yorka

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Nassau County Department of Public Works, recharged tertiary-treated sewage (reclaimed water) into the Magothy aquifer in 13 recharge experiments between 1968 and 1973. The recharge resulted in a degradation in water quality with respect to iron concentration and pH. Iron concentration increased from the range 0.14 to 0.30 milligrams per litre to as much as 3 milligrams per litre at the 20-, 100-, and 200-foot or 6.1-, 30-, and 61-metre observation wells as the reclaimed water displaced native water. The increase was presumably a result of pyrite dissolution. The pH of the water decreased from the range 5.22 to 5.72 to a low of about 4.50, predominantly as a result of cation-exchange reactions.
INTERMEDIATE-ANGLE PION--PROTON ELASTIC SCATTERING FROM 3.0 TO 5.0 GeV/c.

Differential cross-section measurements for ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}p$ and ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}p$ elastic scattering at 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, and $5.0 \frac{\mathrm{GeV}}{c}$ are presented for center-of-mass scattering angles between 55\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} and 130\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}. A shoulder near $t=\ensuremath{-}0.9$ and a dip near $t=\ensuremath{-}3.0 {(\frac{\mathrm{GeV}}{c})}^{2}$ are seen in the data throughout this momentum range.
WE-G-BRD-04: Inter- and Intrafractional Dose Uncertainty in Multifraction Gamma Knife Treatment

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate inter- and intra-fractional dose variations resulting from head position deviations for patients treated with the Extend relocatable frame utilized in multi-fraction Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS). While previous reports characterized the residual setup and intra-fraction uncertainties of the system, the dosimetric consequences have not been investigated. Methods: A digital gauge was used to measure the head position of 16 consecutive Extend patients (62 fractions) at the time of simulation, before each fraction, and immediately following each fraction. Radial inter-fraction (difference between simulation and pre-fraction positions) and intra-fraction (difference between post-fraction and pre-fraction positions) shifts in patient position were calculated. Planned dose distributions were shifted by the offset to determine the time-of- treatment dose. Variations in mean and maximum target and organ at risk (OAR) doses as a function of positional shift were evaluated. Results: The mean radial inter-fraction shift was 0.64 mm (SD: 0.25, maximum: 1.17). The mean intra-fraction shift was 0.39 mm (SD: 0.25, maximum: 1.44). The mean target dose variation was 0.66% (SD: 1.15%, maximum: 5.77) for inter-fraction shifts and 0.26 % (SD: 0.34, maximum: 1.85) for intrafraction shifts. The maximum OAR dose variation: 7.15% (SD: 5.73, maximum: 30.59) for inter-fraction shifts and 4.07% (SD: 4.22, maximum: 17.04) for intra-fraction shifts. Linear fitting of maximum OAR dose variations as a function of position yielded dose deviations of 11.1%/mm for inter-fractional shifts and 9.3 %/mm for intra-fractional shifts. Conclusion: While positional uncertainties when performing multi-fraction Gamma Knife radiosurgery are small (<1 mm), dose deviations resulting from shifts in position can be significant (especially to OARs) due to the steep dose gradients characteristic of GKRS. Dosimetric consequences of positional uncertainties should be considered when using the Gamma Knife Extend System.
Current decision-making in prostate cancer therapy

Purpose of reviewProstate cancer continues to be the most prevalent cancer among American men. Localized prostate cancer is commonly diagnosed because of improved screening practices nationwide. Several options exist for the treatment of localized prostate cancer, and this review discusses the decis
High-field quasiballistic transport in short carbon nanotubes.

Single walled carbon nanotubes with Pd Ohmic contacts and lengths ranging from several microns down to 10 nm are investigated by electron transport experiments and theory. The mean-free path (MFP) for acoustic phonon scattering is estimated to be ${l}_{\mathrm{ap}}\ensuremath{\sim}300\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{nm}$, and that for optical phonon scattering is ${l}_{\mathrm{op}}\ensuremath{\sim}15\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{nm}$. Transport through very short ($\ensuremath{\sim}10\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{nm}$) nanotubes is free of significant acoustic and optical phonon scattering and thus ballistic and quasiballistic at the low- and high-bias voltage limits, respectively. High currents of up to $70\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{A}$ can flow through a short nanotube. Possible mechanisms for the eventual electrical breakdown of short nanotubes at high fields are discussed. The results presented here have important implications to high performance nanotube transistors and interconnects.
Fallback in stellar collapse

Abstract We review the physics behind supernova explosions produced in stellar collapse. Assuming the convective region in the collapse drives the explosion, we can derive a maximum energy to the supernova explosion as a function of time after collapse. For explosions that take more than 0.5 s, the explosion energy is weak. Such explosions will lead to a lot of material falling back onto the compact remnant after the launch of the explosion. We estimate the amount of fallback and speculate about the role this fallback plays in driving further explosions and in r -process production.
First-order feasibility analysis of a space suit radiator concept based on estimation of water mass sublimation using Apollo mission data

Abstract Thermal control of a space suit during extravehicular activity (EVA) is typically accomplished by sublimating water to provide system cooling. Spacecraft, on the other hand, primarily rely on radiators to dissipate heat. Integrating a radiator into a space suit has been proposed as an alternative design that does not require mass consumption for heat transfer. While providing cooling without water loss offers potential benefits for EVA application, it is not currently practical to rely on a directional, fixed-emissivity radiator to maintain thermal equilibrium of a spacesuit where the radiator orientation, environmental temperature, and crew member metabolic heat load fluctuate unpredictably. One approach that might make this feasible, however, is the use of electrochromic devices that are capable of infrared emissivity modulation and can be actively controlled across the entire suit surface to regulate net heat flux for the system. Integrating these devices onto the irregular, compliant space suit material requires that they be fabricated on a flexible substrate, such as Kapton film. An initial assessment of whether or not this candidate technology presents a feasible design option was conducted by first characterizing the mass of water loss from sublimation that could theoretically be saved if an electrochromic suit radiator was employed for thermal control. This is particularly important for lunar surface exploration, where the expense of transporting water from Earth is excessive, but the technology is potentially beneficial for other space missions as well. In order to define a baseline for this analysis by comparison to actual data, historical documents from the Apollo missions were mined for comprehensive, detailed metabolic data from each lunar surface outing, and related data from NASA’s more recent “Advanced Lunar Walkback” tests were also analyzed. This metabolic database was then used to validate estimates for sublimator water consumption during surface EVAs, and solar elevation angles were added to predict the performance of an electrochromic space suit radiator under Apollo conditions. Then, using these actual data sets, the hypothetical water mass savings that would be expected had this technology been employed were calculated. The results indicate that electrochromic suit radiators would have reduced sublimator water consumption by 69.0% across the entire Apollo program, for a total mass savings of 68.5 kg to the lunar surface. Further analysis is needed to determine the net impact as a function of the complete system, taking into account both suit components and consumable mass, but the water mass reduction found in this study suggests a favorable system trade is likely.
Evidence that the σ1 receptor is not directly coupled to G proteins

Sigma (sigma) receptors have been implicated in psychosis, cognition, neuroprotection, and locomotion in the central nervous system. The signal transduction mechanisms for sigma receptors have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we examined the possible coupling between sigma(1) receptors and heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) in rodent brain. In sigma(1) receptor-rich cerebellar membrane preparations, the competitive binding curves of two sigma(1) agonists, (+)pentazocine and 1S,2R-(-)-cis-N-[2-(3, 4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]-N-methyl-2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)cyclohexylamine (BD737), were unaffected by the addition of 10 microM guanosine-5'-O-(gamma-thio)-triphosphate (GTPgammaS). Neither (+)pentazocine (1-100 microM) nor BD737 (0.01-10 microM) stimulated GTPase activities significantly above basal levels in agonist-stimulated GTPase activity assays in cerebellar membranes. Furthermore, when using the method of agonist-stimulated [35S]GTPgammaS binding as assessed by autoradiography, we did not observe significant stimulation of [35S]GTPgammaS binding in rat brain sections by either (+)pentazocine or BD737. The above results demonstrate that the sigma(1) receptor is not likely be directly coupled to G proteins.
Is adjunctive open-label zonisamide effective for bipolar disorder?

Objective To assess the effectiveness and safety of zonisamide in bipolar disorder. Methods A chart review was conducted of naturalistic treatment with zonisamide in 35 outpatients meeting DSM-IV criteria for bipolar disorder (9 males, 26 females; mean +/- SD age = 29.2 +/- 12.7; 14 with bipolar disorder type I, 6 with bipolar disorder type II, and 14 with bipolar disorder not otherwise specified). Patients received zonisamide adjunctive therapy between January 1994 and December 2004. Treatment response was defined as a Clinical Global Impressions - Improvement (CGI-I) scale score of +2 (much improved) or + 3 (very much improved). Results Zonisamide was moderately to markedly effective in 9 subjects (26%). Indication for treatment included depressive (34.3%, [12/35]), manic/hypomanic (28.6%, [10/35]), or mixed (31.4%, [11/35]) symptoms. The mean zonisamide dose was 130 mg/d for a mean duration of treatment of 27.0 +/- 32.3 weeks. Sedation (25%, [4/16]) was the most common side effect; 19/35 (54.3%) reported no side effects. 17/35 (49%) patients terminated early, mostly due to adverse effects (6/35). Using a multivariable model, predictors of response, concurrent mood stabilizers, dose and bipolar subtype (bipolar type I > type II/NOS), were controlled for in this sample. Conclusions In 35 persons with bipolar disorder taking standard mood stabilizers and other psychotropic agents, adjunctive zonisamide appears to have modest benefit in global improvement when added to a pre-existing complex medication regimen in patients with bipolar spectrum disorder. These pilot data support the need for larger studies to test the potential efficacy of zonisamide for treatment in mood disorders.
Visual Display Highlighting and Information Extraction

This research examined the influence of computer-generated highlighting on visual search performance and information extraction. The tasks used to examine information extraction were a detection task (presence or absence of visual features), a localization task (knowledge of target's location), and an identification task (word identification). For each of the three tasks there were twelve highlighting techniques that were presented among displays of varying sizes (i.e., 3, 12, 24 items). The study tested twenty-five subjects, with a total of 30,480 screens being viewed. The results suggested that all the highlighting techniques tested were detected and localized more quickly and accurately than the non-highlighted condition. The identification task required the greatest amount of attention (i.e., processing time), and suggested a final stage of visual search where the content of a visually highlighted message is recognized. During all three tasks the information highlighted by color or by an enclosed fram...
Intergenerational and Interconnected: Mental Health and Weil-Being in Grandparent Caregiver Families:

Research shows that a substantial number of grandparent caregivers are caring for children with developmental delays or emotional or behavioral problems, and that many caregivers have clinical leve...
New business entrepreneurship in the Japanese economy

Abstract This article presents the results of a study focused on the role of new business entrepreneurship in the Japanese economy. Particular attention is paid to the activities of various government agencies in relation to new business entrepreneurship and to the barriers to this activity in Japan. New business entrepreneurship was defined as the formation and rapid growth of a business enterprise through unique approaches to the firm's activities. In contrast to the American stereotype of Japan as an economy of a few large, interconnected firms, it is, in fact, characterized by small- and medium-sized enterprises. Over 99% of all Japanese enterprises are categorized as small or medium and over 80% of all employed Japanese are employed by such firms. However, very few of these firms are entrepreneurial in nature. The vast majority are small firms that are either subcontractors to a single larger firm or small retail, wholesale, or restaurant establishments. The start-up rate for all types of businesses in Japan has been declining for the past 10 to 15 years. More importantly, the rate of start-up s for independent firms, as opposed to firms started by a larger firm to serve primarily as a subcontractor, declined even more sharply. This indicates a significant weakness in Japan's otherwise strong economy. The low and declining rate of new business entrepreneurship in Japan is a function of structural, governmental, and cultural barriers. Structural barriers include an acute, long-term labor shortage, high financial start-up costs due in large part to high land prices, and a shortage of venture capital funding. Government barriers include “red tape,” financial and other support for small firms that is withdrawn as they enter rapid growth, and the persistent protection of inefficient industry structures. Cultural barriers involve Japan's strong group/collective orientation, the traditional career path in Japan, bounds on creativity, and the fact that entrepreneurship is not assigned a high social value. While the government provides an extensive, well-developed network of services for small- and medium-sized firms, these programs are not designed to facilitate rapid growth into the large firm phase. The Japanese experiences and programs offer useful insights for policy and tactics by other governments.