cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Mind Versus the Body in Political (and Nonpolitical) Discourse Linguistic Evidence for an Ideological Signature in U.S. Politics

Ideological liberals may focus on mental operations to a greater extent than bodily operations, whereas this pattern may be reversed among conservatives. Although there are suggestive sources of evidence, prior research has not directly examined relations between political ideology and this mind–body distinction. The present investigation did so by content-coding texts using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count program and its cognitive and bodily process categories. Three studies involving posts to political news websites (Study 1), presidential State of the Union addresses (Study 2), and writing samples by laypersons (Study 3) converged on the hypothesis that texts produced by those with liberal ideologies would score positively in mind–body terms (reflecting a greater relative mental focus), whereas texts produced by those with conservative ideologies would score negatively in mind–body terms (reflecting a greater bodily focus), a novel linguistic signature of political ideology.
Manufacturing Striated Space for Migrants: An Ethnography of Initial Reception Centers for Asylum Seekers in Germany

In the ongoing debates on migration, the subjectivities of migrants are often relegated to the background. Although critical research in refugee studies and forced migration puts a great emphasis on the unheard voices of migrants. This article strays momentarily from the focus on migrants subjectivities to interrogate the background of these voices, that is, the space that surrounds their narratives. Based on field observations conducted in two initial reception centers for asylum seekers in Germany, this article draws on Deleuze and Guattari’s geographic philosophy to explore the spatiality and temporality of these facilities. This article argues that these reception centers capture asylum seekers’ journey narratives through their reterritorialization, and thereby deletes their agency all the while they provide safety.
Eliminating the main source of instability and turbulence in TSI's 3071 DMA

ABSTRACTThe transfer function of TSI's widely used 3071 Differential Mobility Analyzer (DMA) widens drastically when the flow rate Q of sheath gas exceeds 30–40 lit/min, limiting its ability to resolve very small particles. This flow instability is unexpected at the prevailing relatively small Reynolds number (Re 60 lit/min. This feature is suppressed here by modifying ...
Palladium Germanides for Mid- and Long-Wave Infrared Plasmonics

Palladium germanide thin films were investigated for infrared plasmonic applications. Palladium thin films were deposited onto amorphous germanium thin films and subsequently annealed at a range of temperatures. X-ray diffraction was used to identify stoichiometry, and Scanning Electron Micrographs, along with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) was used to characterize composition and film quality. Resistivity was also measured for analysis. Complex permittivity spectra were measured from 0.3 to 15 µm using IR ellipsometry. From this, surface plasmon polariton (SPP) characteristics such as propagation length and mode confinement were calculated and used to determine appropriate spectral windows for plasmonic applications with respect to film characteristics. Films were evaluated for use with on-chip plasmonic components.
From Movement to Mainstream: A Battered Women’s Shelter Evolves (1976–2017)

This is a case study of Transition House in Cambridge, MA, a pioneering feminist agency founded in 1976. Transition House has survived and is, today, a thriving agency. Based on interviews with and...
Lessons Learned from a Decade of FLOSS Data Collection

In 2004 a collaborative research team based at Syracuse University and Elon University began collecting and sharing data in order to understand how free/libre open source software (FLOSS) is made. Embodying some of the same FLOSS ethos, this team created a public-facing repository for their own data and analyses and encouraged other researchers to use it and contribute to it. This chapter tells the story of how the FLOSSmole project began, where the data comes from and what we have learned from it, and how the project has grown and changed over the years. In addition to capturing snapshots of the current state of the FLOSS landscape, FLOSSmole also serves as a mirror to the larger FLOSS ecosystem, since changes in FLOSSmole’s mission and goals over the years necessarily reflect some of the cultural and technological changes taking place in FLOSS itself. As such, FLOSSmole will continue to face many challenges in the future, including the continual need to provide broader access and more sophisticated and relevant data and analyses and to do all this in a way that is sustainable and community driven.
The effects of interrupting prolonged sitting with intermittent activity on appetite sensations and subsequent food intake in preadolescent children

Background Short-term and long-term exposure to prolonged sitting is associated with excess food intake and weight gain in children. Interrupting prolonged sitting with low-intensity activity has been shown to not alter hunger, satiety, or food consumption in children, however it is unclear whether interrupting sitting with high-intensity activity will alter appetite regulation in children. Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of interrupting prolonged sitting with intermittent activity performed at varying intensities on hunger, satiety, prospective food consumption (PFC), and food intake in preadolescent children. Methods Thirty-nine children (ages 7-11 years, 54% female, 33% overweight/obese) completed four experimental conditions in random order: 8 hours of sitting interrupted with 20, 2-minute low-, moderate-, or high-intensity activity breaks or 20, 2-minute sedentary screen time breaks. Exercise intensity corresponded with 25%, 50% and 75% of heart rate reserve, respectively. Hunger, satiety, and PFC were assessed using the Visual Analog Scale, at five time points (pre- and post-breakfast, pre- and post-lunch, and pre-dinner) during each experimental condition. Dietary compensation was assessed as total caloric intake during a post-condition dinner standardized to provide 70% of estimated daily energy requirements. Results There was a significant effect of time on hunger, satiety, and PFC throughout each condition day (p 0.05), satiety (sedentary: 4.7±0.3 cm, low: 4.4±0.3 cm, moderate: 4.6±0.3 cm, high: 4.2±0.3 cm, p>0.05), and PFC (sedentary: 4.9±0.3 cm, low: 4.7±0.3 cm, moderate: 4.9±0.3 cm, high: 5.0±0.3 cm, p>0.05). There were no significant differences in post-activity food intake across conditions (sedentary: 1071.9±53.6 kcals; low: 1092.6±43.4kcals; moderate: 996.2±54.6kcals; high: 1138.7±62.8kcals, p>0.05). However, there was a significant effect of condition on energy balance (sedentary: +61.4±65.9 kcals, low: +74.9±57.6 kcals, moderate: -58.3±62.8 kcals, high: -391.2±77.9 kcals; p 0.05). Conclusions Interrupting prolonged sitting with physical activity of any intensity does not alter appetite sensations and subsequent food consumption in children. These data suggest that interventions targeting prolonged sitting with high-intensity intermittent activity may be an effective strategy to increase physical activity energy expenditure without increasing food intake, allowing for a short-term energy deficit in both healthy weight and overweight/obese children. Future studies should examine the long-term effects of interrupting prolonged sitting with activity on food consumption and weight status in preadolescent children.
Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap)

Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) is a web-based application developed by Vanderbilt University to capture data for clinical research and create databases and projects.
A new class of flexible energetic salts: Part 7: The structures of the guanidinium and hydroxyguanidinium salts of dinitramide

The crystal structures of two amine base salts of dinitramide, the guanidinium 1, and the hydroxyguanidinium 2, have been determined. 1 crystallizes in the triclinic space group $$P\bar 1$$ with cell dimensions a = 8.325(2) A, b = 9.301 (2) A, c = 9.868(2) A, α = 84.73(3)°, β = 69.25(3)°, γ = 67.55(3)°, while 2 crystallizes in the noncentric monoclinic space group Pc with cell dimensions a = 7.098 (2) A, b = 3.5160 (10) A, c = 14.358(3) A, β = 98.940(10)°. The structures of 1 and 2 contain protonated amine cations and dinitramide anions linked by hydrogen bonding. In both structures the conformations adopted by the dinitramine anions can be related to the types of hydrogen bonds it forms with the surrounding amine cations.
Single-Crystal Spectrometers for X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy

A comparison study of the adaptability of several commercially available diffractometers for X-ray absorption fine- structure studies was carried out. The following experimental arrangements were tested: 1. Continuous scanning with a proportional counter recording total counts accumulated at predetermined intervals. 2. Point-by-point scanning (manual and automatic) using a scintillation counter, a proportional counter, and a geiger counter. Several kinds of slit geometries, X-ray tubes, and sample thicknesses have been tested. All measurements were carried out using copper foils having minimum preferred orientation and silicon single-crystal analyzers. The results were compared to those obtained using a two-crystal instrument employing two parallel silicon crystals and a scintillation counter followed by a pulse-height analyzer. It is concluded that comparative measurement can be carried out with commercial instruments but that quantitatively accurate absolute determinations of the edge structure require more highly stabilized X-ray generators than those presently manufactured.
Nanomechanical Characterization Using Nanoindentation, Nanoscratch, and AFM

Nanomechanical characterization of human hair using nanoindentation and nanoscratch provides valuable information about the hair fiber itself, as well as how damage and treatment affect important mechanical properties of the fiber (Wei and Bhushan, 2006;Wei et al., 2005). In Sect. 4.1, the hardness, Young’s modulus, and creep results for both the hair surface and cross section are discussed. In Sect. 4.2, the coefficient of friction and scratch resistance of the hair surface is presented for unsoaked and soaked hair. In Sect. 4.3, stress–strain curves and AFM topographical images of virgin and damaged hair during tensile deformation are presented.
Information extraction as a stepping stone toward story understanding

Historically, story understanding systems have depended on a great deal of hand-crafted knowledge. Natural language understanding systems that use conceptual knowledge structures [SA77, Cul78, Wil78, Car79, Leh81, Kol83] typically rely on enormous amounts of manual knowledge engineering. While much of the work on conceptual knowledge structures has been hailed as pioneering research in cognitive modeling and narrative understanding, from a practical perspective it has also been viewed with skepticism because of the underlying knowledge engineering bottleneck. The thought of building a large-scale conceptual natural language processing (NLP) system that can understand open-ended text is daunting even to the most ardent enthusiasts. So must we grit our collective teeth and assume that story understanding will be limited to prototype systems in the foreseeable future? Or will conceptual natural language processing ultimately depend on a massive, broad-scale manual knowledge engineering effort, such as CYC [LPS86]?
A Morphogeneticist’s View of Correlative Inhibition in the Shoot

The complexity of shoot form depends, in part, on a number of correlative effects between various organs. The best known of these is apical dominance, the effect of the terminal apex on the lateral buds, but there are also correlative effects between the lateral buds themselves, and growing leaves or leaf primordia may affect other leaves or the axillary buds which they subtend. Correlative inhibition between buds has been recognized most frequently in the case of cotyledonary buds (Snow44; Sachs36; McIntyre24), but exists also between two buds at higher nodes in decussate or bijugate species, at least if the buds are of unequal size. In most species with paired leaves the buds may possess different developmental potentialities, one of each pair developing as a vegetative shoot and the other as a flower, inflorescence or thorn; in others they merely develop as shoots of unequal size (Champagnat5; Goebel13; Loiseau21; Raciborski35). Such species provide good material for the study of the less common correlative effects in the shoot. Various experiments have been or will be reported in more detail elsewhere (Cutter8; Cutter and Chiu9), but are discussed briefly now along with a more general consideration of the morphogenetic aspects of the phenomenon of apical dominance.
VLF Attenuation Rates Deduced From Aircraft Observations Near the Antipode of NPM

Airborne phase and amplitude records of the transmissions from NPM on 19.8 kHz were obtained near its antipode in July 1963. The data are used to deduce attenuation rates at VLF. The results are presented as curves of attenuation rate of the dominant waveguide mode versus geomagnetic bearing of propagation path as measured at the transmitter. Results are given for both daytime and nighttime propagation and are considered applicable for sea water paths at temperate latitudes.
Design and Applications of Sliding Bearings

The design of sliding isolation systems and relevant applications are presented. Sliding isolation systems which found application are: (1) EDF system consisting of leaded bronze-stainless steel sliding bearings without restoring force, (2) TASS system consisting of PTFE-elastomeric sliding bearings and rubber restoring force devices, (3) Spherical sliding or Friction Pendulum System (FPS), (4) Lubricated PTFE sliding bearings with additional energy dissipating devices, and (5) Sliding bearings with restoring force devices for bridge applications.
Significant improvement in TiO2 photocatalytic activity through controllable ZrO2 deposition

ZrO2 was deposited on anatase TiO2 nanoparticles using 5–80 cycles of atomic layer deposition (ALD). The photocatalytic activity of all samples was evaluated based on the degradation of methylene blue (MB) solution under UV light. The TiO2 sample with 45 cycles of ZrO2 deposition (45c-Zr/TiO2, 1.1 wt% ZrO2) was proved to be the most efficient catalyst with a degradation kinetic constant 10 times larger than that of the pure TiO2 sample. All samples were characterized using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), nitrogen adsorption–desorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra analysis (UV-DRS), Raman and photoluminescence (PL) techniques. The high photocatalytic activity of 45c-Zr/TiO2 can be attributed to stronger adsorption in the ultraviolet region and a reduction in the recombination rate of electron/hole pairs.
Repeated Spiral Drawings in Essential Tremor: a Possible Limb-Based Measure of Motor Learning

To investigate changes in tremor severity over repeated spiral drawings to assess whether learning deficits can be evaluated directly in a limb in essential tremor (ET). A motor learning deficit in ET, possibly mediated by cerebellar pathways, has been established in eye-blink conditioning studies, but not paradigms measuring from an affected, tremulous limb. Computerized spiral analysis captures multiple characteristics of Archimedean spirals and quantifies performance through calculated indices. Sequential spiral drawing has recently been suggested to demonstrate improvement across trials among ET subjects. One hundred and sixty-one ET and 80 age-matched control subjects drew 10 consecutive spirals on a digitizing tablet. Degree of severity (DoS), a weighted, computational score of spiral execution that takes into account spiral shape and line smoothness, previously validated against a clinical rating scale, was calculated in both groups. Tremor amplitude (Ampl), an independent index of tremor size, measured in centimeters, was also calculated. Changes in DoS and Ampl across trials were assessed using linear regression with slope evaluations. Both groups demonstrated improvement in DoS across trials, but with less improvement in the ET group compared to controls. Ampl demonstrated a tendency to worsen across trials in ET subjects. ET subjects demonstrated less improvement than controls when drawing sequential spirals, suggesting a possible motor learning deficit in ET, here captured in an affected limb. DoS improved independently of Ampl, showing that DoS and Ampl are separable motor physiologic components in ET that may be independently mediated.
How wait-times, social media, and surgeon demographics influence online reviews on leading review websites for joint replacement surgeons

Abstract Objective With the growth and popularity of the internet, physician review websites are being utilized more frequently by patients to learn about and ultimately select their provider. These sites allow patients to comment on the care they received in a public forum for others to see. With outcome and “quality” measures being used to dictate reimbursement formulas; online patient reviews may affect a physician's compensation in the near future. Therefore, it is of paramount importance for physicians to understand how best to portray themselves on social media and other internet sites. Methods In this retrospective study, we identified 145 arthroplasty surgeons via the AAHKS database. Then, surgeon data was collected from Healthgrades (HG) and Vitals (V). We identified if the surgeon had social media (SM) accounts by using google search. The number of ratings and comments, overall rating, reported wait-times and physician SM presence were analyzed with univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses. Results 64% of surgeons had a SM presence, and younger surgeons with SM had lower distribution of wait-times. A SM presence correlated with significantly higher frequency of total ratings and comments. Both review sites showed that younger physicians with a SM presence had increased frequency of ratings and comments and a quicker office wait-times. SM presence did not impact the overall scores on either website. Conclusion Having SM presence is correlated with increased number of ratings and comments on physician review sites, possibly revealing an increased likelihood of these physicians encouraging their patients to engage with them via the internet. SM presence did not correlate with higher review scores, displaying that there are many complex factors that go into a physician score outside of SM and internet appearance. Future studies should explore patient comments on these sites to understand additional factors that may optimize a patient's experience.
Differences in Prenatal Care by Presence and Type of Maternal Disability.

Introduction Prior studies have found that women with disabilities are less likely to receive adequate prenatal care than women without disabilities. However, little is known about differences in patterns of prenatal care by type of disability. Therefore, this study examined timing and frequency of prenatal care among women with physical, sensory, or intellectual/developmental disabilities compared with women without disabilities. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study using linked maternal and infant hospital discharge and birth certificate data for all births in California in 2000–2012 (N=6,745,201). Analyses were conducted in 2017–2018. Modified Poisson regression analyses compared women with each type of disability with women without disabilities on trimester of prenatal care initiation and number of prenatal care visits. Results Women with intellectual/developmental disabilities or with limited hearing had significantly higher RR of delaying prenatal care initiation until the second or third trimester (intellectual/developmental disabilities: adjusted RR=1.21, 95% CI=1.09, 1.33; hearing: adjusted RR=1.11, 95% CI=1.02, 1.21), whereas women with physical disabilities and limited vision had lower risk of delaying care (physical: adjusted RR=0.91, 95% CI=0.88, 0.94; vision: adjusted RR=0.85, 95% CI=0.73, 0.99). Women with limited hearing or vision or intellectual/developmental disabilities had higher risk of receiving fewer prenatal visits than recommended, compared with women without disabilities. Women with physical disabilities or intellectual/developmental disabilities had higher RR of receiving more than the typical number of visits. Conclusions There were key differences in prenatal care utilization by disability type, reflective of particularly pronounced disparities for women with intellectual/developmental disabilities and women with limited hearing. Delays in receipt of prenatal care and low numbers of prenatal care visits may contribute to the poorer birth outcomes that have been observed previously in these groups. Targeted interventions are needed to improve uptake of prenatal care in these vulnerable populations.
Transforming Game Difficulty Curves using Function Composition

Player engagement within a game is often influenced by its difficulty curve: the pace at which in-game challenges become harder. Thus, finding an optimal difficulty curve is important. In this paper, we present a flexible and formal approach to transforming game difficulty curves by leveraging function composition. This allows us to describe changes to difficulty curves, such as making them "smoother", in a more precise way. In an experiment with 400 players, we used function composition to modify the existing difficulty curve of the puzzle game Paradox to generate new curves. We found that transforming difficulty curves in this way impacted player engagement, including the number of levels completed and the estimated skill needed to complete those levels, as well as perceived competence. Further, we found some transformed curves dominated others with respect to engagement, indicating that different design goals can be traded-off by considering a subset of curves.
Higher-Order Spreadsheets with Spilled Arrays

We develop a theory for two recently-proposed spreadsheet mechanisms: gridlets allow for abstraction and reuse in spreadsheets, and build on spilled arrays, where an array value spills out of one cell into nearby cells. We present the first formal calculus of spreadsheets with spilled arrays. Since spilled arrays may collide, the semantics of spilling is an iterative process to determine which arrays spill successfully and which do not. Our first theorem is that this process converges deterministically. To model gridlets, we propose the grid calculus, a higher-order extension of our calculus of spilled arrays with primitives to treat spreadsheets as values. We define a semantics of gridlets as formulas in the grid calculus. Our second theorem shows the correctness of a remarkably direct encoding of the Abadi and Cardelli object calculus into the grid calculus. This result is the first rigorous analogy between spreadsheets and objects; it substantiates the intuition that gridlets are an object-oriented counterpart to functional programming extensions to spreadsheets, such as sheet-defined functions.
Physics-inspired integrated space–time artificial neural networks for regional groundwater flow modeling

Abstract. An integrated space-time Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model inspired by the governing groundwater flow equation was developed to test whether a single ANN is capable of modeling regional groundwater flow systems. Model-independent entropy measures and random forest (RF) based feature selection procedures were used to identify suitable inputs for ANNs. L2 regularization, 5-fold cross-validation, and adaptive stochastic gradient descent (ADAM) algorithm led to a parsimonious ANN model for a 30 691 km2 agriculturally intensive area in the Ogallala Aquifer of Texas. The model testing at 38 independent wells during the 1956–2008 calibration period showed no overfitting issues and highlighted the model's ability to capture both the observed spatial dependence and temporal variability. The forecasting period (2009–2015) was marked by extreme climate variability in the region and served to evaluate the extrapolation capabilities of the model. While ANN models are universal interpolators, the model was able to capture the general trends and provided groundwater level estimates that were better than using historical means. Model sensitivity analysis indicated that pumping was the most sensitive process. Incorporation of spatial variability was more critical then capturing groundwater level persistence. The use of the standardized precipitation-evapotranspiration (SPEI) index as a surrogate for pumping was generally adequate but was unable to capture the heterogeneous groundwater extraction preferences of farmers under extreme climate conditions.
Two-Stage Model for Optimized Mitigation and Recovery of Bridge Network with Final Goal of Resilience:

Ensuring resilience of critical infrastructure systems when facing disruptions is of great importance to engineers, stakeholders, and decision makers. Providing an optimal strategy for strengthenin...
Silent Majority or Vocal Minority: A Corpus-Assisted Discourse Study of Trump Supporters’ Facebook Communication

The topic of immigration remains contentious in American political debate, and it played a prominent role in the presidential campaign of 2016, being exploited by presidential candidate Donald J. Trump. His proposal to ban Muslims from entering the USA stimulated passionate discussions, including those on social networks. The material for the investigation was collected from Trump’s official Facebook page and was analyzed by Critical Discourse Analysis and Corpus Linguistic methods. The results were compared to the data from the COCA corpus as an indication of the general Americans’ attitude toward Muslims. The results demonstrate a difference in the negativity level between Trump’s supporters and the broader American public and provide a window into the ideology of the section of the US population supporting Trump.Publisher’s Note: This article was originally published with an incorrect peer review statement, which said that this article was an internally reviewed editorial. This has now been amended to reflect the fact that this is a piece of research that underwent double blind peer review by two external reviewers.
Mindfulness and cardiovascular health: Qualitative findings on mechanisms from the mindfulness-based blood pressure reduction (MB-BP) study.

Background Mindfulness-based programs hold promise for improving cardiovascular health (e.g. physical activity, diet, blood pressure). However, despite theoretical frameworks proposed, no studies have reported qualitative findings on how study participants themselves believe mindfulness-based programs improved their cardiovascular health. With an emphasis on in-depth, open-ended investigation, qualitative methods are well suited to explore the mechanisms underlying health outcomes. The objective of this qualitative study was to explore the mechanisms through which the mindfulness-based program, Mindfulness-Based Blood Pressure Reduction (MB-BP), may influence cardiovascular health. Methods This qualitative study was conducted as part of a Stage 1 single arm trial with one-year follow-up. The MB-BP curriculum was adapted from Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction to direct participants' mindfulness skills towards modifiable determinants of blood pressure. Four focus group discussions were conducted (N = 19 participants), and seven additional participants were selected for in-depth interviews. Data analysis was conducted using the standard approach of thematic analysis. Following double-coding of audio-recorded transcripts, four members of the study team engaged in an iterative process of data analysis and interpretation. Results Participants identified self-awareness, attention control, and emotion regulation as key mechanisms that led to improvements in cardiovascular health. Within these broader themes, many participants detailed a process beginning with increased self-awareness to sustain attention and regulate emotions. Many also explained that the specific relationship between self-awareness and emotion regulation enabled them to respond more skillfully to stressors. In a secondary sub-theme, participants suggested that higher self-awareness helped them engage in positive health behaviors (e.g. healthier dietary choices). Conclusion Qualitative analyses suggest that MB-BP mindfulness practices allowed participants to engage more effectively in self-regulation skills and behaviors lowering cardiovascular disease risk, which supports recent theory. Results are consistent with quantitative mechanistic findings showing emotion regulation, perceived stress, interoceptive awareness, and attention control are influenced by MB-BP.
Jimmy Carter and the Birth of the Marathon Media Campaign: by Amber Roessner, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Louisiana State University Press, 2020, 344 pp.

Jimmy Carter’s successful 1976 presidential campaign resides in a no-man’s land of political history, overshadowed by the landslide Republican victories that preceded and followed it. In Jimmy Cart...
A Survey of Machine Learning-based Cyber-physical Attack Generation, Detection, and Mitigation in Smart-Grid

Cyber-physical (CP) attacks are the principal dangers confronting the usage and advancement of the contemporary smart-grid (SG) system. Advancement of SG has added a wide range of technology, equipment, and tools to make the system more reliable, efficient, and cost-effective. Despite attaining these goals, the threat space for the adversarial attacks has also been expanded because of the addition of the cyber layers. Machine learning (ML) based tools are being used to exploit and defend the system for its massive computational and reasoning capability. In this paper, we perform a comprehensive summary of cyber-physical attack identification and mitigation schemes by reviewing state-of-the-art researches in the SG domain. After that, we address ML assisted attack for facilitating future researchers to get updated about the existing research status. Additionally, we present a tabular form of current researches in a structured way to help the potential forthcoming researchers in deciding their research focus. We also present the shortcomings of the existing works and possible future research direction based on our investigation.
Development and evaluation of a high performance T1‐weighted brain template for use in studies on older adults

Τhe accuracy of template-based neuroimaging investigations depends on the template's image quality and representativeness of the individuals under study. Yet a thorough, quantitative investigation of how available standardized and study-specific T1-weighted templates perform in studies on older adults has not been conducted. The purpose of this work was to construct a high-quality standardized T1-weighted template specifically designed for the older adult brain, and systematically compare the new template to several other standardized and study-specific templates in terms of image quality, performance in spatial normalization of older adult data and detection of small inter-group morphometric differences, and representativeness of the older adult brain. The new template was constructed with state-of-the-art spatial normalization of high-quality data from 222 older adults. It was shown that the new template (a) exhibited high image sharpness, (b) provided higher inter-subject spatial normalization accuracy and (c) allowed detection of smaller inter-group morphometric differences compared to other standardized templates, (d) had similar performance to that of study-specific templates constructed with the same methodology, and (e) was highly representative of the older adult brain.
The EO Challenge

This chapter introduces the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) construct and touches briefly on critical debates in the literature regarding EO’s epistemological base and the ontological assumptions of various EO conceptualizations. I then turn to key assumptions of various EO conceptualizations in the context of leadership research, centering on temporal stability. An interesting paradox, when studying EO antecedents the critical question for researchers is to identify predictors that effect a construct that, by definition, does not vary much over time. I then discuss critical measurement issues in the EO literature, specifically focusing on antecedent-to-EO models. This leads to a discussion of causal inference in this context, and challenges to establishing a causal claim in strategic leadership-EO research.
SU-E-T-304: Dosimetric Comparison of Cavernous Sinus Tumors: Heterogeneity Corrected Pencil Beam (PB-Hete) Vs. X-Ray Voxel Monte Carlo (XVMC) Algorithms for Stereotactic Radiotherapy (SRT)

Purpose: To compare dose distributions calculated using PB-hete vs. XVMC algorithms for SRT treatments of cavernous sinus tumors. Methods: Using PB-hete SRT, five patients with cavernous sinus tumors received the prescription dose of 25 Gy in 5 fractions for planning target volume PTV(V100%)=95%. Gross tumor volume (GTV) and organs at risk (OARs) were delineated on T1/T2 MRI-CT-fused images. PTV (range 2.1–84.3cc, mean=21.7cc) was generated using a 5mm uniform-margin around GTV. PB-hete SRT plans included a combination of non-coplanar conformal arcs/static beams delivered by Novalis-TX consisting of HD-MLCs and a 6MV-SRS(1000 MU/min) beam. Plans were re-optimized using XVMC algorithm with identical beam geometry and MLC positions. Comparison of plan specific PTV(V99%), maximal, mean, isocenter doses, and total monitor units(MUs) were evaluated. Maximal dose to OARs such as brainstem, optic-pathway, spinal cord, and lenses as well as normal tissue volume receiving 12Gy(V12) were compared between two algorithms. All analysis was performed using two-tailed paired t-tests of an upper-bound p-value of <0.05. Results: Using either algorithm, no dosimetrically significant differences in PTV coverage (PTVV99%,maximal, mean, isocenter doses) and total number of MUs were observed (all p-values >0.05, mean ratios within 2%). However, maximal doses to optic-chiasm and nerves were significantly under-predicted using PB-hete (p=0.04). Maximal brainstem, spinal cord, lens dose and V12 were all comparable between two algorithms, with exception of one patient with the largest PTV who exhibited 11% higher V12 with XVMC. Conclusion: Unlike lung tumors, XVMC and PB-hete treatment plans provided similar PTV coverage for cavernous sinus tumors. Majority of OARs doses were comparable between two algorithms, except for small structures such as optic chiasm/nerves which could potentially receive higher doses when using XVMC algorithm. Special attention may need to be paid on a case-by-case basis when planning for sinus SRT based on tumor size and location to OARs particularly the optic apparatus.
Reticulospinal and vestibulospinal neurons in the young larva of a teleost fish, Brachydanio rerio.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses reticulospinal and vestibulospinal neurons in the young larva of a teleost fish, Brachydanio rerio . The neurons are located in the reticular formation and vestibular nuclei and appear to represent the entire projection from the brain to the deeper levels of the cord. The number of cells in this population is small, their arrangement in the brain is stereotyped, and some of them can be individually recognized in the sense of identified neurons characteristic of many invertebrate species. The M-neuron in the brain receives synaptic input from the periphery and perhaps from long ascending and descending central axons. The M-cell projects to interneurons and spinal motoneurons. Comparisons between the other zebrafish reticulospinal cells and those in the distantly related lamprey reveal many morphological similarities. This suggests that the system as a whole is conservative and phylogenetically ancient. The functional roles of the other neurons that project to the cord have not been studied. Occasionally, in normal fish and more frequently in fish where the M-cells have been experimentally deleted, large startle responses are observed that are not initiated by the M-cell.
Making the Educational State: Inter-Level Politics and the Origins of Federal Authority in Education Standards, Testing, and Accountability

This paper investigates the origins of America's "Educational State" with the passage of the Goals 2000 Act and the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994, and thereby contributes to our broader theories of American social policy. It argues that the emergence of the educational state stemmed from Inter-Level Politics, a dynamic interaction between the agenda-setting of educational entrepreneurs and the vicissitudes of policymaking the the United States' fragmented federal system. In essence, education reformers increasingly turned to federal intervention as the spur to comprehensive educational reform as they lost faith in the will and capacity of states to undertake educational reforms on a voluntary basis. This paper poses an alternative to existing models of educational change based on economic demands, public opinion, or "borrowing strength." It also has broader implications for our understanding of the dynamics of American social policy. First, it explains why education policymaking escaped the "government is the problem" politics that undermined many areas of social policymaking. Second, it shows that standards, testing, and accountability - policies often dubbed "punitive" or "paternalistic" - may serve as the common carrier for both conservative and liberal interests.
Improved Algorithms and Bounds for Orthogonal Drawings

An orthogonal drawing of a graph is a drawing such that nodes are placed on grid points and edges are drawn as sequences of vertical and horizontal segments. In this paper we present linear time algorithms that produce orthogonal drawings of graphs with n nodes. If the maximum degree is four, then the drawing produced by our algorithm needs area no greater than 0.8n2 and no more than 1.9n bends. Notice that our upper bound on the bends is below the lower bound for planar orthogonal drawings of planar graphs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first algorithm for orthogonal drawings that needs area less than n2. If the maximum degree is three, then the drawing produced by our algorithm needs (n/2+1)×n/2 area and at most n/2+3 bends. These upper bounds match the upper bounds known for triconnected planar graphs of degree 3.
Input- and Output-Oriented Technical Efficiency of Ukrainian Collective Farms, 1989–1992: Bayesian Analysis of a Stochastic Production Frontier Model

We propose estimation of a stochastic production frontier model within a Bayesian framework to obtain the posterior distribution of single-input-oriented technical efficiency at the firm level. All computations are carried out using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. The approach is illustrated by applying it to production data obtained from a survey of Ukrainian collective farms. We show that looking at the changes in single-input-oriented technical efficiency in addition to the changes in output-oriented technical efficiency improves the understanding of the dynamics of technical efficiency over the first years of transition in the former Soviet Union.
Upper Paleolithic Net-Hunting, Small Prey Exploitation, and Women's Work Effort: A View from the Ethnographic and Ethnoarchaeological Record of the Congo Basin

Recent interest in Upper Paleolithic small prey acquisition focuses on the significance of fiber-based hunting technologies. Some researchers believe the advent of these technologies and presence of small faunas reflect efficient communal net-hunts driven by women's labor. We evaluate different small prey hunting techniques, using ethnographic data from foragers in the Congo Basin. These and other ethnographic data suggest that net-hunting is a high risk endeavor that often has high opportunity costs. We argue that the high costs associated with net-hunting have profound implications for human technological choice, and we evaluate the circumstances that would favor the use of different small prey hunting technologies in the Upper Paleolithic.
Relationship between subthalamic nucleus neuronal activity and electrocorticogram is altered in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington's disease

Key points Neural synchrony between the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and cortex is critical for proper information processing in basal ganglia circuits. Using in vivo extracellular recordings in urethane-anaesthetized mice, we demonstrate that single units and local field potentials from the STN exhibit oscillatory entrainment to low-frequency (0.5–4 Hz) rhythms when the cortex is in a synchronized state. Here we report novel findings in the R6/2 transgenic mouse model of Huntington's disease (HD) by demonstrating that STN activity is reduced and less phase-locked to cortical low-frequency oscillations. The spectral power of low-frequency oscillations in ECoG recordings of R6/2 mice is diminished while the spectral power of higher frequencies is augmented and such altered cortical patterning could lead to decreased synchrony in corticosubthalamic circuits. Our data establish that cortical entrainment of STN neural activity is disrupted in R6/2 mice and may be one of the mechanisms contributing to disordered motor control in HD. Abstract Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder in which impairments in the processing of information between the cortex and basal ganglia are fundamental to the onset and progression of the HD phenotype. The corticosubthalamic hyperdirect pathway plays a pivotal role in motor selection and blockade of neuronal activity in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) results in a hyperkinetic movement syndrome, similar to the HD phenotype. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between neuronal activity in the STN and cortex in an animal model of HD. We performed in vivo extracellular recordings in the STN to measure single-unit activity and local field potentials in the R6/2 transgenic mouse model of HD. These recordings were obtained during epochs of simultaneously acquired electrocorticogram (ECoG) in discrete brain states representative of global cortical network synchronization or desynchronization. Cortically patterned STN neuronal activity was less phase-locked in R6/2 mice, which is likely to result in less efficient coding of cortical inputs by the basal ganglia. In R6/2 mice, the power of the ECoG in lower frequencies (0.5–4 Hz) was diminished while the power expressed in higher frequencies (13–100 Hz) was increased. In addition, the spontaneous activity of STN neurons in R6/2 mice was reduced and neurons exhibited a more irregular firing pattern. Glutamatergic STN neurons provide the major excitatory drive to the output nuclei of the basal ganglia and altered discharge patterns could lead to aberrant basal ganglia output and disordered motor control in HD.
Physically correct direct lighting for distribution ray tracing

Publisher Summary The direct lighting component in distribution ray tracing is calculated by performing a numerical integration, accounting for all potentially visible luminaires. This chapter presents a physically correct method for calculating the contribution from spherical and triangular luminaires. For an environment with multiple luminaires, there is an integral for each luminaire, and the direct lighting is the sum of those integrals. Because of the difficulty in computing the solid angle of a triangle and finding a sample direction within the solid angle, the solid angle of a triangular luminaire is approximated with another triangle that is an approximation of the projection of the luminaire on the unit sphere centered at x. For a rectangular luminaire, the solid angle is very difficult to compute, and the approximation method used for a triangular luminaire is not suitable. However, to estimate direct lighting for a rectangular luminaire, the method that uniformly picks a random point on the luminaire can be used, or the luminaire can be divided into two triangular luminaires.
A VISUAL APPROACH TO CONTROLLING METAMERISM

Although it is emphasized that the proper practical approach to minimizing metamerism in industrial coloring processes is through spectrophotometry, rules are developed for selecting and, if necessary, blending colorants to control metamerism through a purely visual approach. Examples are taken from the vinyl plastics industry, and it is assumed that the match is to be made with a black, a white, and two chromatic pigments. With the approximate hues of all available chromatic pigments marked on a simple hue circle, a trial match to the standard is made. Rules are developed and illustrated for altering the selection of chromatic pigments to reduce metamerism, based on the change in color of the trial match relative to that of the standard as the light source is changed from daylight to tungsten or fluorescent light. With practice, compositions which are good visual matches to the standard in all three sources can be obtained.
Comparison of Aanderaa RCM-9 and MAVS3 current meters measuring surface currents in the Gulf of Maine

The Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System was created to provide the users of the Gulf with moored, modeled, and satellite and remotely observed conditions in the Gulf. As part of this effort the University of Maine and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution are deploying moorings in the coastal and basin regions of the Gulf. ADCPs will measure current profiles, but surface current observations are also required. For this last task, the MAVS3 and Aanderaa RCM-9 current meters were considered, and on the Jordan Basin mooring both were deployed just below the buoy for evaluation. As a first test, tow-tank tests were run on the MAVS3 and its calibration and behavior adjusted. A preliminary comparison was conducted on a section of hourly telemetered data from June through August 2002. Both current meters sampled at 1 Hz for 1 minute each hour (dictated by limited Aanderaa sampling options). A visual comparison of the time series indicated that both current meters observed similar currents. The Aanderaa was mounted 1.7 m and the MAVS 2.7 m below the surface. A regression of the speeds showed that the Aanderaa readings were about 3 cm/sec higher on the average than the MAVS. The slope of the regression showed the Aanderaa speeds about 34% higher than the MAVS. The standard deviation of the difference was 5-6 cm/sec and the regression scatter appeared to be larger than would normally be expected in deep water current meter comparisons. The mean direction difference is 4.8/spl deg/, and the standard deviation of the direction difference is 27.1/spl deg/. That two current meters using different methodology agreed reasonably well in the complex wave and current field moored under a surface buoy indicates that both current meters are doing reasonable jobs of measuring currents.
Diamond nanosensors: The sense of colour centres

Single colour centres in diamond have already proved their merit for sensing magnetic fields with high sensitivity and spatial resolution. Now they have been shown to be effective atomic-scale probes of electric fields, too.
Geographic access to hospice care for children with cancer in Tennessee, 2009 to 2011

The geographic interface between the need for and the supply of pediatric hospice may be critical in whether children with cancer access care. This study sought to describe the geographic distribution of pediatric hospice need and supply and identify areas lacking pediatric hospice care in Tennessee over a 3-year time period. Using ArcGIS, a series of maps were created. There was a consistent need for care among children with cancer across the state. Most urban areas were supplied by pediatric hospices, except the Knoxville area. Areas within the state were identified where the supply of pediatric hospice care declined, while the need for hospice care was unchanging. This study has important regulatory implications for clinicians practicing in certificate of need states such as Tennessee.