cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cognitive-behavioral intervention for homebound caregivers of persons with dementia.

Background: Family caregivers experience considerable stress in their management of specific behaviors of persons with dementia. Objective: To examine the effects of an 8-week cognitive-behavioral (C-B) intervention tailored to the specific deficits of persons with dementia (PWDs) on selected outcomes for homebound caregivers and the functional status of the PWD. Method: The design was a two-group randomized trial with measures taken at baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks. Subjects were 65 caregiver-care recipient dyads. A majority of the 65 female caregivers were spouses with a mean age of 66.5 years. Thirty-one women who received the C-B intervention were compared to 34 who received the attention-only (A-O) placebo telephone calls. Coping strategies, perceptions of caregiver burden and satisfaction, and emotional and physical health were assessed at the four points in time. Results: Results indicated a time by group interaction in depression, with less depression in the C-B than the A-O group. Both groups experienced a significant reduction in anxiety, and a significant consistent decrease in satisfaction over time. Both groups also demonstrated decreased use of emotion-focused coping strategies. Conclusion: The results suggest a plausible effectiveness of the C-B intervention in preventing the progression of depression. Suggestions for future research are provided.
Predicting n:1 locking in pulse coupled two-neuron networks using phase resetting theory

Background Harmonic locking has been observed between breathing and heart beat rhythms, in hippocampal slices between interneurons firing at gamma and pyramidal neurons firing at beta frequencies with missed gamma beats and in model networks between theta and gamma rhythms. Existence and stability criteria for harmonic locking modes were derived for two reciprocally pulse coupled oscillators based on their first and second order phase resetting curves (PRCs). These methods were then tested using two reciprocally inhibitory Wang and Buzsaki model neurons. Methods PRCs were generated in an open loop configuration and applied to the analysis of the circuit under the assumption that after each perturbation the trajectory returns near its limit cycle and that the synaptic inputs received in the closed loop circuit remain similar to those used to generate the PRCs [1]. Figure 1A shows how an assumed firing pattern can be used to produce a map, which can then be linearized for a stability analysis. The dots indicate a variable number of spikes in the faster neuron 1. The periodicity criteria in this case are ts1 [n] = tr2 [n], ts21 [n] = tr11 [n], ts22 [n] = tr12 [n] with the intervals defined as shown in the figure. The periodicity criteria can be rewritten in from Seventeenth Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting: CNS*2008 Portland, OR, USA. 19–24 July 2008
Coblation for tonsillectomy in children : An evidence-based update on a maturing technology

Coblation technology (Arthrocare Corp., Sunnyvale, CA, USA) uses plasma-mediated ablation (PMA) for soft-tissue removal. The application of PMA for tonsillectomy has evolved since 1998 through changes in equipment, and surgical techniques. This paper reviews the evidence to date for Coblation tonsillectomy, and offers perspective on novel applications of this maturing technology.
Design and imaging properties of a laser scanning microscope with a position-sensitive detector

An economical method of microscopic image formation that employs a raster-scanning laser beam focused on a sample, while a non-imaging detector receives the scattered light, is presented. The images produced by this method are analogous to the scanning electron microscopy with visible effects of shadowing and reflection. Compared to a conventional wide-field imaging system, the system allows for a greater flexibility, as the variety of optical detectors, such as PMT and position-sensitive quadrant photodiode can be used to acquire images. The system demonstrates a simple, low-cost method of achieving the resolution on the order of a micron. A further gain in terms of resolution and the depth of focus by using Bessel rather than Gaussian beams is discussed.
Using animals to assess bioavailability of minerals: implications for human nutrition.

The bioavailability of a nutrient reflects the sum of the effects of all other factors (dietary and other) on the absorption, transport, cellular organization, storage and excretion of the nutrient. Bioavailability is not definable by a single test or variable. Rather, the study of bioavailability is dependent on the stra tegic use of in vitro systems, subcellular and cellular systems, animal models and human subjects in an integrated manner. Accordingly, the appropriate question for human nutritionists is not if animals are appropriate models, but when are they appropriate models, and how can these animal models best be used. To evaluate the usefulness of data from studies with animal models in predicting the bioavailability of nutrients in humans, several factors need to be considered. These include comparability of diets, dosing regimens, doses and forms of nutrients, and measures of bioavailability used.
Self-help housing and informal homesteading in peri-urban America: Settlement identification using digital imagery and GIS ☆

Abstract This paper develops a methodology for integrating remote sensing/aerial photographs and GIS techniques to identify low-income informal homestead subdivisions (IFHS, also known as colonias ) in peri-urban areas of US metropolitan areas. Unlike their self-build counterparts in Latin American cities which start as illegal occupations of totally un-serviced lots, in the USA housing production is largely self-managed (embracing trailer homes, manufactured homes, modular units with self-help home improvement, etc.), placed on legally developed lots, albeit poorly or minimally serviced. As researchers begin to understand the logic and rationale underpinning their existence, and better appreciate where (spatially), and what (physical) “footprints” to look for, it becomes possible to identify and quantify the full extent of these peri-urban settlement phenomena. This paper reports on a three Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the USA to demonstrate the methodology and argues that this has wider application both in the USA and elsewhere. Specifically for the US, the paper outlines some of the policy implications that arise from using integrated techniques to develop an inventory of IFHS and from a deepening of public recognition of the phenomenon.
VARIATION IN PROSTATE SPECIFIC ANTIGEN RESULTS FROM 2 DIFFERENT ASSAY PLATFORMS: CLINICAL IMPACT ON 2,304 PATIENTS UNDERGOING PROSTATE CANCER SCREENING

ABSTRACTPurpose:: Urologists must contend with fluctuating prostate specific antigen (PSA) results from different assay platforms when deciding whether prostate biopsy is indicated. The contribution of cross-platform variation to these fluctuations is not well understood. To address this question we performed a cross-sectional study comparing 2 popular PSA assays during prostate cancer screening.Materials and Methods:: The Baylor College of Medicine Prostate Cancer Screening Program is a community outreach program providing free screening to Houston residents. From September 18th to 23, 2000, 2,304 patients underwent digital rectal examination and parallel serum PSA assay by the Hybritech Access (Beckman Coulter, Inc., Chaska, Minnesota) and Centaur (Bayer Diagnostics, Tarrytown, New York) systems. The Wilcoxon signed ranks test was used to compare results.Results:: Median PSA was low for the 2 assays (Centaur 0.99 ng/ml and Access 1.09 ng/ml) and Access results were significantly higher (1.23 times) than...
Noncanonical Wnt Signaling Promotes Obesity-Induced Adipose Tissue Inflammation and Metabolic Dysfunction Independent of Adipose Tissue Expansion

Adipose tissue dysfunction plays a pivotal role in the development of insulin resistance in obese individuals. Cell culture studies and gain-of-function mouse models suggest that canonical Wnt proteins modulate adipose tissue expansion. However, no genetic evidence supports a role for endogenous Wnt proteins in adipose tissue dysfunction, and the role of noncanonical Wnt signaling remains largely unexplored. Here we provide evidence from human, mouse, and cell culture studies showing that Wnt5a-mediated, noncanonical Wnt signaling contributes to obesity-associated metabolic dysfunction by increasing adipose tissue inflammation. Wnt5a expression is significantly upregulated in human visceral fat compared with subcutaneous fat in obese individuals. In obese mice, Wnt5a ablation ameliorates insulin resistance, in parallel with reductions in adipose tissue inflammation. Conversely, Wnt5a overexpression in myeloid cells augments adipose tissue inflammation and leads to greater impairments in glucose homeostasis. Wnt5a ablation or overexpression did not affect fat mass or adipocyte size. Mechanistically, Wnt5a promotes the expression of proinflammatory cytokines by macrophages in a Jun NH2-terminal kinase–dependent manner, leading to defective insulin signaling in adipocytes. Exogenous interleukin-6 administration restores insulin resistance in obese Wnt5a-deficient mice, suggesting a central role for this cytokine in Wnt5a-mediated metabolic dysfunction. Taken together, these results demonstrate that noncanonical Wnt signaling contributes to obesity-induced insulin resistance independent of adipose tissue expansion.
A maximum a posteriori approach to beamforming in the presence of calibration errors

The performance of DF-based beamformers is seriously degraded in situations where the array is imprecisely calibrated, or when the spatial coherence of the signal wavefronts is perturbed. When the calibration errors or perturbation may be characterized by a set of parameters drawn from a known Gaussian distribution, a maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimator may be used to separately estimate the directions of arrival and the perturbation parameters, resulting in essentially an on-line auto-calibration. This paper examines the improvement that results from using the MAP auto-calibrated steering vectors in standard DF-based beamformers to estimate the received signal waveforms and suppress unwanted interference. For the special case of additive unstructured calibration errors and uncorrelated signals, it is shown that the MAP beamformer is similar in form to so-called "subspace corrected" approaches.
Unintended pregnancy and postpartum contraceptive use in women with and without chronic medical disease who experienced a live birth

Abstract Background Maternal chronic medical disease and unintended pregnancies increase the risk of maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. Little is known regarding the relationship between chronic medical disease status and pregnancy intendedness or contraceptive use. Study Design We compared pregnancy intention and postpartum contraception use in women with and without chronic medical disease who experienced a live birth using data from the Florida Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System 2004–2005. Results Women aged ≥20 years with chronic medical disease were more likely to report that the index pregnancy was unintended (odds ratio [OR]=1.56, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.28–2.03) and reported similar postpartum contraception nonuse (OR=0.85, 95% CI 0.60–1.19) compared to those without chronic medical disease. Women aged Conclusions In our study population, age and chronic medical disease were associated with different risks of pregnancy intention in the index pregnancy. Women with and without chronic disease in both age groups reported similar postpartum contraception use.
Novel surveillance of psychological distress during the great recession

Abstract Background Economic stressors have been retrospectively associated with net population increases in nonspecific psychological distress (PD). However, no sentinels exist to evaluate contemporaneous associations. Aggregate Internet search query surveillance was used to monitor population changes in PD around the United States' Great Recession. Methods Monthly PD query trends were compared with unemployment, underemployment, homes in delinquency and foreclosure, median home value or sale prices, and S&P 500 trends for 2004–2010. Time series analyses, where economic indicators predicted PD one to seven months into the future, were performed in 2011. Result PD queries surpassed 1,000,000 per month, of which 300,000 may be attributable to the Great Recession. A one percentage point increase in mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures was associated with a 16% (95%CI, 9–24) increase in PD queries one-month, and 11% (95%CI, 3–18) four months later, in reference to a pre-Great Recession mean. Unemployment and underemployment had similar associations half and one-quarter the intensity. “Anxiety disorder”, “what is depression”, “signs of depression”, “depression symptoms”, and “symptoms of depression” were the queries exhibiting the strongest associations with mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures, unemployment or underemployment. Housing prices and S&P 500 trends were not associated with PD queries. Limitations A non-traditional measure of PD was used. It is unclear if actual clinically significant depression or anxiety increased during the Great Recession. Alternative explanations for strong associations between the Great Recession and PD queries, such as media, were explored and rejected. Conclusions Because the economy is constantly changing, this work not only provides a snapshot of recent associations between the economy and PD queries but also a framework and toolkit for real-time surveillance going forward. Health resources, clinician screening patterns, and policy debate may be informed by changes in PD query trends.
Structure of Class I Major Histocompatibility Antigens

H-2 antigens were discovered by Gorer (1936) as a blood group system associated with histocompatibility between mouse strains. Later research indicated that H-2 antigens were encoded by a series of genes, hence the designation H-2 complex (J. Klein, 1975). Similar complexes have been identified in all vertebrates examined (Gotze, 1977) and are generally known as major histocompatibility complexes (MHC). It is now known that genes within the MHC influence as many as 60 separate traits (J. Klein, 1975, 1979) with many controlling important immunological functions.
A Clinically Oriented Bioengineering Program for Undergraduates

The well-documented emergence of Bioengineering from independent research into clinical problem-solving has influenced the development of Bioengineering education at Carnegie-Mellon. Offered as an option to undergraduates, Bioengineering supplements the basic curriculum of an Engineering department with courses in the life sciences, clinical and instrumentation laboratories, and a hospital internship. These laboratories and internship, which are described here in detail, have as their purpose to provide the student with a familiarity with engineering applications in the medical field and to encourage the ability to work cooperatively in the clinical environment. These specific skills are to be added to the general engineering excellence and ability for independent growth which are the goals of the basic departmental curricula. Two years from its introduction, enrollment in the option has grown to a total of 49 undergraduates for the current academic year.
Frequent somatic CDH1 loss-of-function mutations in plasmacytoid variant bladder cancer

Plasmacytoid bladder cancer is an aggressive histologic variant with a high risk of disease-specific mortality. Using whole-exome and targeted sequencing, we find that truncating somatic alterations in the CDH1 gene occur in 84% of plasmacytoid carcinomas and are specific to this histologic variant. Consistent with the aggressive clinical behavior of plasmacytoid carcinomas, which frequently recur locally, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of CDH1 in bladder cancer cells enhanced cell migration.
Matrix and Soluble Factor Pathways to Lineage Specification

Integration of soluble factors and physical properties of extracellular matrix is likely key to stem cell differentiation but the extent to which those pathways overlap remains unclear. Here motivated by the micromechanics of osteogenic niche we looked at the synergy between matrix stimuli and pharmacological perturbation of Retinoic Acid (RA) pathway on primary and iPSC-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) including iPSC- derived cells from progeria patients towards osteogenesis. Retinoic acid receptor RARG transcription factor is known to regulate nucleoskeletal protein Lamin-A. A cell-by-cell analysis showed that rigid matrix favor higher LMNA and correlates with increased nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio of RARG. We found that the Progerin allele of lamin-A is similarly regulated by specific RARG agonist/antagonists. A mechanochemical gene circuit in which tension on lamin-A ultimately favors RARG activity describes well the experimentally observed trend. Scatter-plots of single-cell analyses also show that some cells on stiff substrates fall within the response envelopes of cells cultured on soft substrates and that shared sub- population of non-responding cells we also found that don’t respond to RA agonist or antagonist regulation of Lamin-A. RA antagonist drove lamin-A dependent upregulation of osteogenic markers on rigid substrates and pretreated xenografts showed bone-level calcification suggesting a synergistic effect of soluble and insoluble factors on subpopulation of stem cells that are highly mechanoresponsive.
Transport of lignocaine by rabbit choroid plexus in vitro.

1. Lignocaine readily passes from blood into cerebrospinal fluid. The isolated rabbit choroid plexus, a locus of the blood—cerebrospinal fluid barrier, accumulated [ 14 C]lignocaine by two processes: an active, saturable transport process and a non-saturable process. 2. The accumulation of [ 14 C]lignocaine by choroid plexus was not due to non-specific binding or metabolism of lignocaine within or on the choroid plexus. 3. These results suggest that the choroid plexus may transport lignocaine between blood and cerebrospinal fluid in vivo by a specific carrier-mediated process.
Social Determinants of Health for HIV Among Hispanic Women.

Population health outcomes are influenced by complex, integrated, and overlapping social structures and economic systems. From the time people are born, they are placed at a particular level of social status. These concepts are included in what the World Health Organization (WHO; 2014) defines as the Social Determinants of Health (SDH): “Conditions, in which people are born, live, grow, work and age” (para. 1). In other words, health is determined in part by the social, economic, political, cultural, and environmental contexts in which people live. Oftentimes, individuals are not able to directly control their SDH (WHO, 2014). The SDH are defined or shaped by money, power, and other resources at multiple levels, from local to global, affecting a wide range of individuals (Mumtaz & Salway, 2009; WHO, 2014). The WHO has recognized that dealing with these social determinants is a fundamental priority in order to improve the health of people and to decrease inequalities (WHO, 2010a). For instance, while HIV prevention for Hispanic women has been a challenge for health care workers and policymakers, the conceptualization of SDH helps recognize HIV among Hispanic women in the context of sociocultural and economic inequalities (e.g., level of education, financial constraints, immigration, culture, substance abuse, and access to health care; Raphael, 2004; WHO, 2010a). A particular concern for both health care workers and policymakers is that relative to other races/ethnicities, Hispanic women are disproportionately affected by HIV (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014). Disparities have persisted in the rate of new HIV infections among Hispanic women for some time; in 2010, for example, the rate of new HIV infections for Hispanic women was 4.2 times that for White women (CDC, 2013a). According to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation (2009), women of color fare worse on a variety of measures of health and health care access than do their White counterparts. Specifically, being HIV positive is one of the indicators associated with greater disparity (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2009). While Hispanics represent diverse nationalities and demographics, they share SDH, which present challenges for HIV prevention, contributing to the rise of HIV infection among Hispanic women across nationalities (CDC, 2009a, 2009b).
Determination of bentazone and 2,4-D in dringking water using high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Objective:To establish a method for determination of bentazone and 2,4-D in dringking water using high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(HPLC-MS-MS).Methods:Dringking water was filtered with 0.22 μm filter and analyzed by HPLC-MS-MS.Data acquisition was achieved by applying multiple reaction monitoring of two fragment ion transitions to provide a high degree of sensitivity and selectivity for both quantification and confirmation.Results:The calibration linear range was from 1 to 200 μg/L for bentazone and 2,4-D,with correlation coefficient larger than 0.999.The recoveries were ranged from 90% to 116% with the relative standard deviation ranged from 2.2% to 5.8% when spiked levels at 1.0,10 and 100 μg/L(n=5).The detection limits(LOD) were 0.1 μg/L for bentazone and 0.2 μg/L for 2,4-D respectively.Conclusion:The optimized method has been successfully applied to quantitation of bentazone and 2,4-D in dringking water directly.
Abnormal TREC-Based Newborn Screening Test in a Premature Neonate with Massive Perivillous Fibrin Deposition of the Placenta

Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), a primary immunodeficiency arising from variable defects in lymphocyte development and survival, is characterized by significant deficiency of thymus derived (T-) lymphocytes and variable defects in the B-lymphocyte population. Newborn screening for SCID is based on detection of low numbers of T-cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) by real time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). This screening allows for early identification of individuals with SCID and other disorders characterized by T-lymphopenia. Higher rates of abnormal screens are commonly seen in premature and critically ill neonates, often representing false positives. It is possible that many abnormal screens seen in these populations are result of conditions that are characterized by systemic inflammation or stress, possibly in the context of stress-induced thymic involution. We present a case of a male infant delivered at 27 weeks, 6 days of gestation, with severe intrauterine growth restriction who had an abnormal TREC screen and a massive perivillous fibrin deposition (MPFD) of the placenta. This association has not been reported previously. We are raising the awareness to the fact that conditions, such as MPFD, that can create adverse intrauterine environment are capable of causing severe stress-induced thymic involution of the fetus which can present with abnormal TREC results on newborn screening.
Wave Propagation in a Borehole

In full waveform acoustic logging, a pressure source generates various types of elastic waves propagating down the borehole. These waves, because their wavelengths are of the order of the borehole radius, are guided waves. Depending on the velocity of propagation, these guided waves are either normal modes, like the Stoneley wave, where all the energy is contained around the borehole, or leaky modes, like the P leaky mode, where some of the energy is converted into body waves and radiates away from the borehole into the formation. Both the normal and leaky modes are significantly affected by the P and especially the S wave velocity of the formation. Other physical parameters affecting their propagation are attenuation, permeability and anisotropy. With proper processing techniques in combination with inversion algorithms, we can obtain estimates of the S wave velocity even in soft marine sediments where no refracted S wave arrival exists on the full waveform logs.
Research that Guides Clinical Decisions

The centerpiece of evidence-based medicine is the randomized controlled trial, a rigorous experiment. We use the study by Roozeboom et al. to illustrate how research guides clinical decisions. We describe levels of evidence, review criteria for assessing a trial regarding noninferiority of a therapy, and discuss challenges for evidence-based medicine in guiding care precisely targeted to an individual patient.
The Invention of Science: A New History of the Scientific Revolution

The Invention of Science conveys in its title its most basic and striking contention. Science, as we understand it, gained its distinctive features during an epistemological shift that took place b...
Fuzzy Syntactic Reordering for Phrase-based Statistical Machine Translation

The quality of Arabic-English statistical machine translation often suffers as a result of standard phrase-based SMT systems' inability to perform long-range re-orderings, specifically those needed to translate VSO-ordered Arabic sentences. This problem is further exacerbated by the low performance of Arabic parsers on subject and subject span detection. In this paper, we present two parse "fuzzification" techniques which allow the translation system to select among a range of possible S--V re-orderings. With this approach, we demonstrate a 0.3-point improvement in BLEU score (69% of the maximum possible using gold parses), and a corresponding improvement in the percentage of syntactically well-formed subjects under a manual evaluation.
Air Quality Impact of Diffuse and Inefficient Combustion Emissions in Africa (DICE-Africa).

Anthropogenic pollution in Africa is dominated by diffuse and inefficient combustion sources, as electricity access is low and motorcycles and outdated cars proliferate. These sources are missing, out-of-date, or misrepresented in state-of-the-science emission inventories. We address these deficiencies with a detailed inventory of Diffuse and Inefficient Combustion Emissions in Africa (DICE-Africa) for 2006 and 2013. Fuelwood for energy is the largest emission source in DICE-Africa, but grows from 2006 to 2013 at a slower rate than charcoal production and use, and gasoline and diesel for motorcycles, cars, and generators. Only kerosene use and gas flaring decline. Increase in emissions from 2006 to 2013 in this work is consistent with trends in satellite observations of formaldehyde and NO2, but much slower than the explosive growth projected with a fuel consumption model. Seasonal biomass burning is considered a large pollution source in Africa, but we estimate comparable emissions of black carbon and hi...
Cultivating Quality Employee-Organization Relationships: The Interplay among Organizational Leadership, Culture, and Communication

ABSTRACTBased on a random sample of employees (n = 391) working in various industrial sectors in the United States, we examined the respective linkages between employee–organization relationships (EORs) and authentic leadership, symmetrical internal communication, and organizational culture. Results indicated that authentic leadership, organizational culture of supportiveness, emphasis on reward, and stability were significant predictors of the symmetrical internal communication system of an organization and EORs. Symmetrical internal communication cultivates quality EORs and mediates the effects of authentic leadership and cultural dimensions of supportiveness on EOR outcomes. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings were also discussed.
Stochastic modeling of miniature end-plate potential occurrences with self-exciting point processes

This paper presents a stochastic modeling of random occurrences of the miniature end-plate potentials observed at the frog neuromuscular junction by self-exciting point processes, and also provides a procedure for estimating the parameters which characterize the self-exciting point process with the expectation maximization algorithm.
Consumers Can Detect Light-Induced Flavor in Milk

Two-thousand consumers were surveyed at three county fairs in Vermont to determine their taste preference for samples of good milk and milk with light-induced flavor defect. More than 73% of the people surveyed preferred the good milk sample. More females than males could taste a difference between the two samples, had a preference for one sample, and preferred the good sample. The data suggest strongly that it is in the best interests of the dairy industry to prevent light-induced flavor of milk.
Chapter 7 – Metal matrix composites—Overall approach

Publisher Summary This chapter deals with an overall approach to metal–matrix composites. It uses the concepts of damage mechanics with a micromechanical composite model to analyze damage and elasto-plastic deformation in fibrous composite materials with a ductile matrix. The main objective is to introduce appropriate expressions for the yield function and hardening rule in the damaged state in terms of an overall damage tensor M. The damage tensor M is assumed to represent all types of damage that the composite system undergoes such as nucleation and growth of voids in the matrix, fracture of fibers, debonding, and delamination. The end result of this approach is to introduce a new class of yield criteria, flow and hardening rules for the damaged composite system that can be used directly in the expression of the stiffness tensor to be used in numerical applications of the model proposed in the chapter. An anisotropic yield function is derived for the composite system based on using a von Mises type yield criterion for the undamaged matrix material.
Compensation and Time Change

Predictable times and processes; Doob–Meyer decomposition and compensation; Predictable invariance and time change; Discounted compensator and predictable maps; Extended compensator and integral representation; Tangential existence; Tangential comparison.
Evidence against the morpheme: The history of English phonaesthemes

Abstract Phonaesthemes like the onset / sn- / in snore, snort, and sniffle straddle the boundary of phonology and morphology and thus seemingly argue against the “theoretical desideratum” of absolute modularity in the grammatical architecture (Lowe, 2016). If modularity is psychologically real, however, a “correction” of the phonaesthemic problem should occur so that phonaesthemes either become more clearly phonological or more clearly morphological over time. Since the morpheme-like nature of phonaesthemic onsets is grounded in their type frequency (Bergen, 2004), a development toward either pole should manifest itself in a change of this frequency. This hypothesis is investigated by collecting all roots beginning with four onset clusters of phonaesthemic value ( fl- , gl- , sl- , sn- ) in Middle and in Present-Day English. The comparison of these counts shows that there is a significant decrease of the phonaesthemic share in only one group ( sl- ), mostly due to loanwords. In the other groups, the ratio of phonaesthemic to arbitrary roots has remained virtually the same. I take these results to show that a strict separation between phonology and morphology is psychologically implausible. In order to account for the diachronic stability of phonaesthemes, I invoke word-based approaches to morphology, in which segmentable morphemes are not theoretical primitives.
The Evolving Patterns of the Concept of Positioning: Some Initial Findings—An Abstract

This paper aims to contribute toward a greater understanding of the concept of positioning through a review of and content analysis of extant research on the subject. The literature is clear on the importance of the concept and its central place in modern marketing management (Talke and Hultink 2010). Unfortunately, at present little is known about underlying themes of the concept let alone generic measurement constructs in the huge volume of marketing and allied journals that contain positioning-related studies. To address the gaps in the literature, we examine two key research questions: (1) What has been driving research themes in positioning over time that are capable of being operationalized by researchers and managers? (2) Among the leading marketing and allied journals, what level of publication productivity is contingent on the concept of positioning? First, we relied on a comprehensive set of marketing and allied journals publishing positioning-based articles over time. Second, we commenced with our first study where we analyzed 61 years (1949–2010) of positioning studies published in the Journal of Marketing. Third, for the second study, we reviewed publications on the concept of positioning in leading marketing and allied journals. The unit of analysis involved Business Source Complete, ABI/INFORM, JSTOR, EBSCOhost, Google Scholar, and ProQuest. Specifically, we followed Hult et al. (1997) and identified the seven most important journals in the marketing field: Journal of Marketing, Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing Research, Marketing Science, Journal of Retailing, International Journal of Research in Marketing, and Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. In addition, a second set of highly regarded allied journals were selected given their importance and relevance to the knowledge development and advancement of the scientific community (Whitelock and Fastoso 2007).
RAISE IT UP!! Youth Arts and Awareness

R AISE I T U P ! Youth Arts and Awareness (RIU) is an organization that promotes youth engagement, expression, and empowerment through the use of performance and literary arts and social justice activism. We envision a world where youth are fully recognized, valued, and supported as artist-activists and emerging thought leaders, working to create a world that is just, intersectional, and inclusive. Two fundamental tenets shape RIU’s policies, practices, and pedagogy. The first is that creative self-expression and culture making are powerful tools for personal and social transformation. The second is that social justice is truly possible only if and when we are willing to have transparent and authentic conversations about the oppression children experience at the hands of the adults in their lives. We are committed to amplifying youth voices and leadership and building cross-generational solidarity among people of all ages, particularly those impacted by marginalization. Though RIU is focused on and driven by the youth, a large part of our work includes helping adult family members, educators, and community leaders understand the ways in which systemic oppression shapes our perceptions of and interactions with the young people in our homes, neighborhoods, institutions, and decision-making bodies.
Early Sign Language Exposure and Cochlear Implantation Benefits

BACKGROUND: Most children with hearing loss who receive cochlear implants (CI) learn spoken language, and parents must choose early on whether to use sign language to accompany speech at home. We address whether parents’ use of sign language before and after CI positively influences auditory-only speech recognition, speech intelligibility, spoken language, and reading outcomes. METHODS: Three groups of children with CIs from a nationwide database who differed in the duration of early sign language exposure provided in their homes were compared in their progress through elementary grades. The groups did not differ in demographic, auditory, or linguistic characteristics before implantation. RESULTS: Children without early sign language exposure achieved better speech recognition skills over the first 3 years postimplant and exhibited a statistically significant advantage in spoken language and reading near the end of elementary grades over children exposed to sign language. Over 70% of children without sign language exposure achieved age-appropriate spoken language compared with only 39% of those exposed for 3 or more years. Early speech perception predicted speech intelligibility in middle elementary grades. Children without sign language exposure produced speech that was more intelligible (mean = 70%) than those exposed to sign language (mean = 51%). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the most compelling support yet available in CI literature for the benefits of spoken language input for promoting verbal development in children implanted by 3 years of age. Contrary to earlier published assertions, there was no advantage to parents’ use of sign language either before or after CI.
Conditioned Suppression: Operant Variables and Aversive Control

The present paper reviews the behavioral effect of conditioned suppression in terms of the experimental methodology, response characteristics, theoretical interpretation, and its modification by operant variables. Conditioned suppression is easily established in a variety of organisms, and once established it is resistant to change with the passage of time, but changes reliably with experimental manipulations. The published data indicate that, in addition to the properties of the aversive stimulus, the degree of suppression is determined to a large extent by the variables used to maintain the baseline behavior, including the type, frequency, and schedule of reinforcement. When superimposed on a variable schedule, the degree of suppression is less severe if either the value or frequency of reinforcement is high. When superimposed on a fixed schedule of reinforcement, the degree of suppression is less severe if the preshock stimulus occurs near the presentation of a reinforcement. Both the interference and punishment interpretations of conditioned suppression are reviewed. While neither of these is completely adequate, a punishment interpretation may be advantageous since it represents conditioned suppression as a point on a behavioral continuum and stresses the similarities between this technique and other aversive control procedures.
Administration of 5-methoxyindole-2-carboxylic acid that potentially targets mitochondrial dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase confers cerebral preconditioning against ischemic stroke injury.

Abstract The objective of this study was to investigate a possible role of mitochondrial dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (DLDH) as a chemical preconditioning target for neuroprotection against ischemic injury. We used 5-methoxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (MICA), a reportedly reversible DLDH inhibitor, as the preconditioning agent and administered MICA to rats mainly via dietary intake. Upon completion of 4 week's MICA treatment, rats underwent 1 h transient ischemia and 24 h reperfusion followed by tissue collection. Our results show that MICA protected the brain against ischemic stroke injury as the infarction volume of the brain from the MICA-treated group was significantly smaller than that from the control group. Data were then collected without or with stroke surgery following MICA feeding. It was found that in the absence of stroke following MICA feeding, DLDH activity was lower in the MICA treated group than in the control group, and this decreased activity could be partly due to DLDH protein sulfenation. Moreover, DLDH inhibition by MICA was also found to upregulate the expression of NAD(P)H-ubiquinone oxidoreductase 1(NQO1) via the Nrf2 signaling pathway. In the presence of stroke following MICA feeding, decreased DLDH activity and increased Nrf2 signaling were also observed along with increased NQO1 activity, decreased oxidative stress, decreased cell death, and increased mitochondrial ATP output. We also found that MICA had a delayed preconditioning effect four weeks post MICA treatment. Our study indicates that administration of MICA confers chemical preconditioning and neuroprotection against ischemic stroke injury.
The Turn to Affect: Emotions Without Subjects, Causality Without Demonstrable Cause

Probing the theoretical implications of claims, championed by Brian Massumi and Patricia Clough, that affect is physiological and pre-subjective, this chapter argues that if the personal history that comes with emotion is subsumed into affects so construed, then the subject is twice removed: once in the stripping down of emotion to affect; and again in the shift in political and social analysis from consensus to contagion. A turn to affect that entails a turn away from conventional rationality risks leaving behind concepts like the human, the subject, and agency, and so put at risk the ability to define the social and affect in ways that enable them to do meaningful work. Having effects is not quite the same as being efficacious, for ubiquitous effects threaten to make them inconsequential by mystifying causality. To address this danger, the chapter proposes a theory of affect that at least gives it the possibility of recognizing the value of further cognitive processing.
Are states winning the fight? Evidence on the impact of state laws on bullying in schools

Abstract Bullying is a prevalent problem. Researchers have provided legislative recommendations to combat it. Examining whether, and to what extent, state laws reduce in-school bullying is important for several reasons beyond providing guidance for federal legislation that would unify state laws. Bullying can be financially problematic for schools. An economics literature suggests bullying may have serious negative labor market consequences by disrupting cognitive and non-cognitive skill development. Bullying during youth may carry over into adulthood and have longer-run impacts within households, labor markets, and the larger economy. I conduct student- and school-level policy evaluations exploiting variation in timing and type of law in conjunction with data from large nationally representative surveys. State legislation may have little effect on reported bullying in high schools, however, reported bullying occurs most often in middle schools. Estimated policy impacts vary across elementary, middle and high school student populations. Current challenges facing research on bullying are revealed.
Applicability of Publicly Reported Hospital Readmission Measures to Unreported Conditions and Other Patient Populations: A Cross-sectional All-Payer Study

Background Readmission rates after hospitalizations for heart failure (HF), acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and pneumonia among Medicare beneficiaries are used to assess quality and determine reimbursement. Whether these measures reflect readmission rates for other conditions or insurance groups is unknown. Objective To investigate whether hospital-level 30-day readmission measures for publicly reported conditions (HF, AMI, and pneumonia) among Medicare patients reflect those for Medicare patients hospitalized for unreported conditions or non-Medicare patients hospitalized with HF, AMI, or pneumonia. Design Cross-sectional. Setting Population-based. Participants Hospitals in the all-payer Nationwide Readmissions Database in 2013 and 2014. Measurements Hospital-level 30-day all-cause risk-standardized excess readmission ratios (ERRs) were compared for 3 groups of patients: Medicare beneficiaries admitted for HF, AMI, or pneumonia (Medicare reported group); Medicare beneficiaries admitted for other conditions (Medicare unreported group); and non-Medicare beneficiaries admitted for HF, AMI, or pneumonia (non-Medicare group). Results Within-hospital differences in ERRs varied widely among groups. Medicare reported ratios differed from Medicare unreported ratios by more than 0.1 for 29% of hospitals and from non-Medicare ratios by more than 0.1 for 46% of hospitals. Among hospitals with higher readmission ratios, ERRs for the Medicare reported group tended to overestimate ERRs for the non-Medicare group but underestimate those for the Medicare unreported group. Limitation Medicare groups and risk adjustment differed slightly from those used by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Conclusion Hospital ERRs, as estimated by Medicare to determine financial penalties, have poor agreement with corresponding measures for populations and conditions not tied to financial penalties. Current publicly reported measures may not be good surrogates for overall hospital quality related to 30-day readmissions. Primary funding source Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Center for Outcomes Research in Cardiology.
Evaluating statistical approaches to leverage large clinical datasets for uncovering therapeutic and adverse medication effects.

Motivation Phenome-wide association studies (PheWAS) have been used to discover many genotype-phenotype relationships and have the potential to identify therapeutic and adverse drug outcomes using longitudinal data within electronic health records (EHRs). However, the statistical methods for PheWAS applied to longitudinal EHR medication data have not been established. Results In this study, we developed methods to address two challenges faced with reuse of EHR for this purpose: confounding by indication, and low exposure and event rates. We used Monte Carlo simulation to assess propensity score (PS) methods, focusing on two of the most commonly used methods, PS matching and PS adjustment, to address confounding by indication. We also compared two logistic regression approaches (the default of Wald versus Firth's penalized maximum likelihood, PML) to address complete separation due to sparse data with low exposure and event rates. PS adjustment resulted in greater power than PS matching, while controlling Type I error at 0.05. The PML method provided reasonable P-values, even in cases with complete separation, with well controlled Type I error rates. Using PS adjustment and the PML method, we identify novel latent drug effects in pediatric patients exposed to two common antibiotic drugs, ampicillin and gentamicin. Availability and implementation R packages PheWAS and EHR are available at https://github.com/PheWAS/PheWAS and at CRAN (https://www.r-project.org/), respectively. The R script for data processing and the main analysis is available at https://github.com/choileena/EHR. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
The Human Habitat: a Systemization and Critique of Park’s Theory from a Radical Interactionist Perspective

When Park died, he left his theory of the human habitat not only incomplete, but in considerable disarray. Although few present-day scholars have demonstrated much interest in building on this critical body of Park’s work, which he based on dominance, it probably represents his most important contribution to American sociology. I argue that the key to systemizing his highly discursive account of the human habitat is to view it from an emergent social evolutionary perspective, which makes it possible to differentiate his notion of “community” from “society,” as well as explain how the two concepts can logically be viewed as both separate and unified entities. A community is not only a necessary stage in the social evolutionary process of producing a society, but it also provides the habitat needed for a society’s later emergence. Among other things, Park’s theory of the human habitat is also criticized for its failure to (1) distinguish dominance from domination, (2) identify the reciprocal relationship existing between power and domination, (3) accurately characterize the nature of the economic order operating in communities, and (4) demarcate a pre-lingual, lingual and literate communal stages that precedes in the social evolutionary process the possible development of a society. In passing, I also point out critical, but often overlooked aspects of Park’s theory of the human habitat that contradict popular characterizations of his work as being purblind to the operation of dominance and power, social Darwinist, conservative, sexist, and racist. Finally, I deduce the implications of his theory for the future emergence of a “world society.”