cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Architecture Of Cholinergic Pre-And Postsynaptic Markers In The Primate Striatum

The basal ganglia are the critical relay for the extrapyramidal system and the execution of motor function. Marsden has suggested that the basal ganglia are responsible for the automatic execution of learned motor plans (21). The basal ganglia may also play a role in higher cognitive functions. Injury to the basal ganglia is known to produce changes in a variety of behavioral functions in humans and animals including learning, language and personality (4, 32). The degree to which the basal ganglia are involved in cognitive processes is, at present, poorly understood. However, connectional and chemoarchitectural studies have demonstrated that the basal ganglia comprise highly heterogeneous and complex structures which are linked to different neural systems in brain.
Probability Theory and the Associativity Equation

At recent MaxEnt Workshops, several tutorials on Bayesian probability theory based on a Rationality desideratum, a Consistency desideratum and Boolean algebra were presented. The associativity equation is an important component of this approach to probability theory, and past tutorials could not devote the space to prove the uniqueness of or solve this functional equation. We demonstrate the unique relation of the associativity equation with rationality and consistency; then, we determine the solution of this equation by a method that does not assume differentiability.
Highlights from the European Respiratory Society 2018 Annual Congress: environment and epidemiology (assembly 6)

Measures of adult lung function, which are used in the assessment of COPD, have been associated with several dozens of genetic variants. Wain et al . using an unweighted risk score based on 95 variants have previously shown that these variants predict COPD (1).
A New Model for Congenital Vestibular Disorders

Many developmental disorders of the inner ear are manifested clinically as delayed motor development and challenges in maintaining posture and balance, indicating involvement of central vestibular circuits. How the vestibular circuitry is rewired in pediatric cases is poorly understood due to lack of a suitable animal model. Based on this, our lab designed and validated a chick embryo model to study vestibular development in congenital vestibular disorders. The developing inner ear or “otocyst” on the right side of 2-day-old chick embryos (E2) was surgically rotated 180° in the anterior–posterior axis, forming the “anterior–posterior axis rotated otocyst chick” or ARO chick. The ARO chick has a reproducible pathology of a sac with truncated or missing semicircular canals. A sac is the most common inner ear defect found in children with congenital vestibular disorders. In E13 ARO chicks, the sac contained all three cristae and maculae utriculi and sacculi, but the superior crista and macula utriculi were shortened in anterior–posterior extent. Also, the number of principal cells of the tangential vestibular nucleus, a major avian vestibular nucleus, was decreased 66 % on the rotated side. After hatching, no difference was detected between ARO and normal chicks in their righting reflex times. However, unlike normal chicks, ARO hatchlings had a constant, right head tilt, and after performing the righting reflex, ARO chicks stumbled and walked with a widened base. Identifying the structure and function of abnormally developed brain regions in ARO chicks may assist in improving treatments for patients with congenital vestibular disorder.
Adaptive Spatio-temporal Model Based Multiple Object Tracking in Video Sequences Considering a Moving Camera

Tracking multiple objects in a moving camera is challenging. Due to the irregular movements of the camera, the displacement, scale, and appearance of the objects can be difficult to predict and track. To cope with these problems, we propose an Adaptive Apatio-temporal (AST) model, which explicitly estimate the movement and scale of targets in the view of the moving camera. Moreover, the interactions among objects are also considered to increase the robustness. We introduce our model to the multiple hypothesis tracking and achieve a competitive result on the public benchmark, which includes video of both moving and statistic camera.
Detecting Social Bots on Facebook in an Information Veracity Context

Misleading information is nothing new, yet its impacts seem only to grow. We investigate this phenomenon in the context of social bots. Social bots are software agents that mimic humans. They are intended to interact with humans while supporting specific agendas. This work explores the effect of social bots on the spread of misinformation on Facebook during the Fall of 2016 and prototypes a tool for their detection. Using a dataset of about two million user comments discussing the posts of public pages for nine verified news outlets, we first annotate a large dataset for social bots. We then develop and evaluate commercially implementable bot detection software for public pages with an overall F1 score of 0.71. Applying this software, we found only a small percentage (0.06%) of the commenting user population to be social bots. However, their activity was extremely disproportionate, producing comments at a rate more than fifty times higher (3.5%). Finally, we observe that one might commonly encounter social bot comments at a rate of about one in ten on mainstream outlet and reliable content news posts. In light of these findings and to support page owners and their communities we release prototype code and software to help moderate social bots on Facebook.
Experimental study of ethanol oxidation behind reflected shock waves: Ignition delay time and H2O laser-absorption measurements

Abstract The oxidation of ethanol was investigated in shock tubes by measuring ignition delay times and water time history profiles. A laser absorption technique was used in the latter case. Ignition delay times were investigated for three equivalence ratios, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0, and for pressures ranging from 1.3 to 53 atm. The fuel concentration and the type of diluent used were also varied. The ignition delay times were in very good agreement with results from the literature for the very few overlapping conditions, and most of the experimental conditions have never been studied before. A high level of accuracy was observed for the predictions of the ignition delay times from detailed kinetics mechanisms. Inhomogeneous ignition events were observed in some specific conditions, validating the notions of thermal diffusivity and flame thickness developed in the literature for the reasons behind such inhomogeneous ignition. The water time-history profiles showed the formation of water in two stages. These profiles were also modeled using well-known detailed kinetic mechanisms from the literature. Severe discrepancies were often observed for laser-absorption measurements, and this was the case with most of the models. A numerical analysis (sensitivity and rate-of-production) was conducted using the two best-performing literature mechanisms (namely, AramcoMech3.0 and CRECK).
Socioeconomic determinants of suicide risk: Monroe County Florida Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, 2016

Abstract Background Socioeconomic factors have been linked to suicide, but little research has explored the effects of these determinants on suicide risk in US populations. This population-based study assessed socioeconomic determinants of suicide risk to inform suicide assessment and intervention. Method Secondary analysis of the Monroe County Florida 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey suicide behavior questions among adult residents (n = 528). Univariate analysis and logistic regression assessed associations of self-reported socioeconomic status (education, employment, income, housing), health care access, quality of life, substance use, mental illness and suicide risk. Result(s) Among respondents, 7.34% (n = 49, CI = 4.27–10.41) were at risk for suicide. Persons at risk reported more depression (χ2 [1, n = 417] = 105.5, p = .001), poorer mental health (χ2 [2, n = 411] = 36.6, p = .001), and more activity limitation due to health (χ2 [1, n = 408] = 34.3, p = .001) than those not at risk. Persons at risk were more likely to be renting homes (63.5%, n = 19, CI = 43.53–80.52) than persons not at risk (36.9%, n = 86, CI = 28.53–43.29). Limitations 32% missing data supports replication of study findings using larger data sets. Maximum likelihood estimation handled missing data in regression analyses. Low prevalence of suicide risk required collapsing some conceptually different categories. Conclusion(s) Housing was a stronger socioeconomic predictor of suicide risk than income, employment, or education. This finding supports exploring housing status in suicide assessment and research.
Managing the Child With Persistent Sleep Apnea

Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects 2% to 4% of American children, and is associated with metabolic, cardiovascular, and neurocognitive sequelae. The primary treatment for pediatric OSA is adenotonsillectomy. Children with obesity, craniofacial syndromes, and severe baseline OSA are at risk for persistent disease. Evaluation of persistent OSA should focus on identifying the causes of upper airway obstruction. Interventions should be tailored to address the patient's symptomatology, sites of obstruction, and preference for surgical versus medical management. Further research is needed to identify management protocols that result in improved outcomes for children with persistent OSA.
Productivity, economic performance, and soil quality of conventional, mixed, and organic dryland farming systems in eastern Washington State

Abstract The global trends of shortening crop rotations, simplifying cropping systems, and segregating livestock from cropping enterprises have generated high yields while creating high environmental costs. Diversification, including integrated crop/livestock systems and the use of cover, forage, and perennial crops, can be used to improve soil health, reduce financial risk, increase yields, and reduce many negative environmental externalities. With such diversification in mind, we conducted a 5-year study examining four contrasting farming systems in dryland eastern Washington State in terms of their impacts on total productivity, economic performance, and soil quality. The four systems were a conventional (CONV) winter wheat/spring wheat/spring pea rotation, typical for the area; a mixed crop-livestock (MIX) winter wheat/spring wheat/grazed winter pea forage rotation; an organic mixed crop-livestock (ORGcrop) rotation of 3 yr perennial alfalfa and grass/grazed pea forage/winter wheat; and an organic hay (ORGhay) continuous perennial alfalfa and grass system. Soft white winter wheat (SWWW) yields were higher following grazed pea forage in MIX (6.2 Mg ha−1) than following harvested pea crop in CONV (5.9 Mg ha−1) despite lower N fertilizer rates in MIX. Following 3 yr of alfalfa and grass hay and no N fertilizer, SWWW yields in ORGcrop (6.2 Mg ha−1) were similar to CONV and MIX yields but averaged 15.5% lower protein concentration. Over the 5-yr rotation, average net returns were ORGhay ($616 yr−1) > ORGcrop (216 yr−1) > MIX (−1 yr−1) = CONV (−13 yr−1), in part due to high hay prices and average grain prices during this period compared to long-term averages. Over the course of the study, total soil profile SOC showed significant negative trends in CONV (−3.1 Mg C ha−1 yr−1) and MIX (−4.1 Mg C ha−1 yr−1) but not in ORGcrop and ORGhay. In surface (0–15 cm) soil, microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen and beta-glucosidase activity were greater in ORGcrop and ORGhay than in CONV and MIX. The landscape position of this study site is of relatively poorer soil quality and results may differ across the heterogeneity of a whole farm field. Overall, ORGhay, ORGcrop, MIX, and CONV in this order produced a gradation of forage production relative to cereal production from greatest to least, and also a gradation of economic and soil sustainability metrics from greatest to least. This study found that integrating perennial crops, such as alfalfa and forage grasses, into organic farming systems can build soil quality, be profitable, and supply nitrogen to succeeding grain crops.
The Vatican and Taiwan: An Anomalous Diplomatic Relationship

The Vatican–Taiwan relationship is an anomalous one, with only a marginal relationship to Cold War issues or questions of the legitimacy of the PRC as a regime. Rather, the rationale for the connec...
Two-Dimension Assessment of Marital Functioning across Adulthood: The Quality of Relationships Inventory:

Single-dimension measures of marital quality can obscure distinct effects of positive and negative aspects of relationships. The present study extended evidence regarding the two-dimension relation...
How to Lead a Research Team

Leadership. Organizational culture. Managing dynamic teams. Providing effective feedback. Did you miss this course in your advanced training? Is this the class that you slept through only to show up for the final exam – or was that really just a dream? You didn’t, and it was only a dream. Being an intentional leader and building the culture you want to maximize workflow and employee satisfaction is not something that is taught in graduate school. Very few institutions provide a didactic to scientists on how you build an effective organizational structure to deliver the best science possible. In academia, you are taught to think critically; to be a careful, well-reasoned scientist and clinician; and to approach problems with an objective eye, determine the root cause, and create impactful solutions. You are not taught how to be an effective leader, how to hire the right staff, how to engage teams in work during stressful periods, how to provide effective feedback to enhance performance, and how to build trust in a diverse team. However, you do have all of the tools that you need to do all of these things. You’ve been doing them for years and have seen them all around you. Now it’s just a matter of recognizing them for what they are and connecting with them in a way that serves your goals and objectives. That is the point of this chapter. In this chapter we will cover building an intentional organizational culture, being a thoughtful leader, and managing a research team so that with some foresight and effort, you can focus on your science while engaging your staff in meaningful, high-impact work as a team.
Forecasting Content and Stage in a Nursing Home Information Technology Maturity Instrument Using a Delphi Method.

Health information technology capabilities in some healthcare sectors, such as nursing homes, are not well understood because measures for information technology uptake have not been fully developed, tested, validated, or measured consistently. The paper provides a report of the development and testing of a new instrument measuring nursing home information technology maturity and stage of maturity. Methods incorporated a four round Delphi panel composed of 31 nursing home experts from across the nation who reported the highest levels of information technology sophistication in a separate national survey. Experts recommended 183 content items for 27 different content areas specifying the measure of information technology maturity. Additionally, experts ranked each of the 183 content items using an IT maturity instrument containing seven stages (stages 0–6) of information technology maturity. The majority of content items (40% (n = 74)) were associated with information technology maturity stage 4, corresponding to facilities with external connectivity capability. Over 11% of the content items were at the highest maturity stage (Stage 5 and 6). Content areas with content items at the highest stage of maturity are reflected in nursing homes that have technology available for residents or their representatives and used extensively in resident care. An instrument to assess nursing home IT maturity and stage of maturity has important implications for understanding health service delivery systems, regulatory efforts, patient safety and quality of care.
The importance of adjuvant treatment and primary anatomical site in head and neck basaloid squamous cell carcinoma survival: an analysis of the National Cancer Database.

Basaloid squamous cell carcinoma (BSCC) of the head and neck is an aggressive and highly malignant variant of squamous cell carcinoma that accounts for 2% of head and neck cancers. Previous studies have not analyzed the significance of adjuvant chemoradiation and anatomical site within BSCC subtype and its impact on survival. A cohort of 1999 patients with BSCC of the head and neck was formed from the National Cancer Database and analyzed with descriptive studies, median survival and 5- and 10-year survival. A multivariable Cox hazard regression was performed to determine the prognostic significance of anatomical site and adjuvant therapy. The most common primary anatomical site was the oropharynx (71.9%) followed by oral cavity (11.5%), larynx (10.1%), hypopharynx (3.5%), esophagus (1.9%), and nasopharynx (1.1%). The presence of metastasis increased the risk of mortality (HR = 2.14; 95% CI 1.40–3.26). Tumors localized to the oropharynx demonstrated better survival compared to all sites except nasopharynx, including the oral cavity (HR = 2.45; 95% CI 1.83–3.29), hypopharynx (HR = 2.58; 95% CI:1.64–4.05), and larynx (HR = 2.89; 95% CI:2.25–3.73). Adjuvant chemoradiation (HR = 0.36; 95% CI 0.23–0.58) and adjuvant radiation (HR = 0.38; 95% CI 0.23–0.64) had better survival outcomes compared to adjuvant chemotherapy. Patients with microscopic margins had better survival outcomes when compared to no surgery (HR = 0.38, 98% Cl 0.23–0.64) while there were no better survival outcomes of patients with macroscopic margins compared to no surgery. This study illustrated that tumors in the oropharynx, lower age, adjuvant chemoradiation and radiation, and microscopic margins were associated with greater survival.
The Health Care Provider's Role in Securing Work Accommodations for Pregnant and Postpartum Patients

Most women today are the primary, sole, or cobreadwinners for their families; their continued ability to work during and after pregnancy is crucial for their families' well-being. Midwives and other health care providers are regularly asked to provide work notes for patients who need adjustments to how, when, or where their job is done to continue working while maintaining a healthy pregnancy or breastfeeding. Whereas an improperly written work note can result in the patient being forced out on leave or losing their job, an effectively written work note from a health care provider can ensure the patient will receive the adjustments they need to stay safe and healthy on the job. Health care providers can also play an important role by incorporating discussions about workplace issues into care conversations. This article provides an overview of pregnancy-related employment rights, guidelines for writing effective work notes, and a discussion of common workplace issues patients face and how health care providers can respond.
SLED: Sequential Logic Encryption Using Dynamic Keys

Logic encryption has emerged as a prominent Design-for-Trust technique to prevent threats in VLSI supply chain such as overproduction and IP piracy. Traditional logic encryption methods have relied on using static one-time-programmable (OTP) keys for locking the design. Sequential obfuscation schemes have demonstrated the advantages of utilizing the dynamic nature of sequential circuits in increasing security. However, they still rely on a secure OTP memory with fixed key values to enforce encryption. In this paper, we propose a new sequential logic locking method that uses dynamic key values obtained from the secure memory to determine corruption on the payload signals. A novel technique to generate these dynamic keys from a traditional static memory is also presented. We obfuscate various sequential circuits to evaluate the effectiveness of this scheme against oracle-based attacks.
Racial/Ethnic and Socioeconomic Disparities in Management of Incident Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation.

Importance In patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF), rhythm control with either antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) or catheter ablation has been associated with decreased symptoms, prevention of adverse remodeling, and improved cardiovascular outcomes. Adoption of advanced cardiovascular therapeutics, however, is often slower among patients from racial/ethnic minority groups and those with lower income. Objective To ascertain the cumulative rates of AAD and catheter ablation use for the management of paroxysmal AF and to investigate for the presence of inequities in AF management by evaluating the association of race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status with their use in the United States. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study obtained inpatient, outpatient, and pharmacy claims data from the Optum Clinformatics Data Mart between October 1, 2015, and June 30, 2019. Adult patients (aged ≥18 years) in the database with a diagnosis of incident paroxysmal AF were identified. Patients were excluded if they did not have continuous insurance enrollment for at least 1 year before and at least 6 months after study entry. Exposures Race/ethnicity and zip code–linked median household income. Main Outcomes and Measures Treatment with a rhythm control strategy, and catheter ablation specifically, among those who received rhythm control. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the association of race/ethnicity and zip code–linked median household income with a rhythm control strategy (AADs or catheter ablation) vs a rate control strategy as well as with catheter ablation vs AADs among those receiving rhythm control. Results Of the 109 221 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 55 185 were men (50.5%) and 73 523 were White (67.3%), with a median (interquartile range) age of 75 (68-82) years. A total of 86 359 patients (79.1%) were treated with rate control, 19 362 patients (17.7%) with AADs, and 3500 (3.2%) with catheter ablation. Between 2016 and 2019, the cumulative percentage of patients treated with catheter ablation increased from 1.6% to 3.8%. In multivariable analyses, Black race (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.89; 95% CI, 0.83-0.94;P Conclusions and Relevance This study found that despite increased use of rhythm control strategies for treatment of paroxysmal AF, catheter ablation use remained low and patients from racial/ethnic minority groups and those with lower income were less likely to receive rhythm control treatment, especially catheter ablation. These findings highlight inequities in paroxysmal AF management based on race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status.
Transparency in Insurance Regulation and Supervisory Law of the United States

This chapter describes and examines transparency regulation in the law of insurance regulation in the United States. Transparency in the US legal tradition has its roots in democratic theory, but its greater relevance in insurance regulation is grounded in the use of the term to describe an essential characteristic of effectively functioning markets and the importance of consumer protection within those markets. The chapter overviews the US insurance regulatory framework and its goals, the role of the states as the primary regulatory authorities, the states’ principal regulatory tools, and how transparency relates to the structure, goals, and tools. The chapter describes and analyzes the regulations and rules that promote transparency in the US—both directly (for example, by disclosure requirements and mandates for clarity in insurance contracts) and indirectly (such as through consumer education). The chapter also describes current initiatives in the US intended to increase transparency in the insurance business. The chapter concludes with an assessment of the effectiveness of US transparency regulation.
Sexual Health Interventions for Racial/Ethnic Minorities Using Community-Based Participatory Research: A Systematic Review.

BackgroundRacial/ethnic minorities (REMs) continue to carry the burden of sexual health disparities in the United States, including increased health risks and lower proportions of preventative care...
Clinical Complete Response in Patients With Rectal Adenocarcinoma Treated With Short-Course Radiation Therapy and Nonoperative Management.

Purpose This study aimed to determine the clinical efficacy and safety of nonoperative management (NOM) for patients with rectal cancer with a clinical complete response (cCR) after short-course radiation therapy and consolidation chemotherapy. Methods and Materials Patients with stage I-III rectal adenocarcinoma underwent short-course radiation therapy followed by consolidation chemotherapy between January 2018 and May 2019 (n = 90). Clinical response was assessed by digital rectal examination, pelvic magnetic resonance imaging, and endoscopy. Of the patients with an evaluable initial response, those with a cCR (n = 43) underwent NOM, and those with a non-cCR (n = 43) underwent surgery. The clinical endpoints included local regrowth-free survival, regional control, distant metastasis-free survival, disease-free survival, and overall survival. Results Compared with patients with an initial cCR, patients with initial non-cCR had more advanced T and N stage (P = .05), larger primary tumors (P = .002), and more circumferential resection margin involvement on diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging (P Conclusions Short-course radiation therapy followed by consolidation chemotherapy may be a feasible organ preservation strategy in rectal cancer. Additional prospective studies are necessary to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this approach.
Intracellular delivery of nanocarriers and targeting to subcellular organelles

Introduction: Recent trends in drug delivery indicate a steady increase in the use of targeted therapeutics to enhance the specific delivery of biologically active payloads to diseased tissues while avoiding their off-target effects. However, in most cases, the distribution of therapeutics inside cells and their targeting to intracellular targets still presents a formidable challenge. The main barrier to intracellular delivery is the translocation of therapeutic molecules across the cell membrane, and ultimately through the membrane of their intracellular target organelles. Another prerequisite for an efficient intracellular localization of active molecules is their escape from the endocytic pathway.Areas covered: Pharmaceutical nanocarriers have demonstrated substantial advantages for the delivery of therapeutics and offer elegant platforms for intracellular delivery. They can be engineered with both intracellular and organelle-specific targeting moieties to deliver encapsulated or conjugated cargoes to ...
A Semi-Complete Disambiguation Algorithm for Open Text

PROCEDURE4. Find words which are semantically connected to the already disambiguated words, and for which the connection distance is 0. The distance is computed based on the WordNet hierarchy; two words are semantically connected at a distance of 0 if they belong to the same synset. PROCEDURE5. Find words which are semantically connected with each other, and for which the connection distance is 0. PROCEDURE6. Find words which are semantically connected to the already disambiguated words, and for which the connection distance is maximum 1; two words are semantically connected at a maximum distance of 1 if they are synonyms or they belong to a hypernymy/hyponymyrelation. PROCEDURE7. Find words which are semantically connected with each other, and for which the connection distance is maximum 1. The text to be disambiguated is first tokenized and part of speech tagged using Brill’s tagger. We also identify the concepts based on WordNet definitions. Two sets of words are maintained, a set of ambiguous words SAW and the set of disambiguated words SDW. The procedures presented above are applied iteratively, until no more words can be disambiguated. Initially, all the words from the text are included in the SAW set and SDW is initialized with the empty set. As words are disambiguated by one of the procedures, they are removed from SAW and added to SDW. This allows us to identify a set of nouns and verbs which can be disambiguated with high precision. We performed several tests using 6 randomly selected files from SemCor. Each of these files has been divided into sets of 15 sentences; these sets are used as input to the algorithm. The results have shown that about 55% of the nouns and verbs are disambiguated with 91% accuracy.
Extension of the Lean Misfire Limit and Reduction of Exhaust Emissions of an SI Engine by Modification of the Ignition and Intake Systems

The lean misfire limit air-fuel ratio of a spark ignition engine was extended by various modifications of the intake and ignition systems. The effects of long duration spark, extended spark plug gap projections and gap widths, and a vaned collar intake valve are reported. These modifications allowed for reliable operation up to air-fuel ratios of 24:1. The experimental apparatus and procedure used in this study are described. Conclusions are drawn concerning the optimization of the various modifications to extend the lean misfire limit and reduce the exhaust emissions.
The Death Penalty and Victims’ Rights: Legal Advance Directives

Insofar as we support the victims’ rights movement, we have reason to support the use of legal advance directives allowing individuals opposed to the death penalty an effective means of expressing their wish that their murderers not be executed. This is an extension of taking victims’ rights seriously in other circumstances, and helps to demonstrate that we truly respect the rights and autonomy of persons who have become victims. We have considered a number of worries about granting victims this sort of power, but given that most of those who are professionally concerned with the issue of the death penalty agree that there is no good reason to believe that the failure to impose the death penalty increases the risk of capital crime, we have been unable to discover anyone who has a legitimate interest in prohibiting such legal advance directives. If a murder victim could speak, his request that his murderer not be sentenced to death ought to be given serious consideration. By means of legal advance directives murder victims can speak.
Soil aggregate hierarchy in a Brazilian oxisol

Light and electron microscopy were used to investigate the applicability of the aggregate hierarchy model of Tisdal and Oades [1] to the micromorphology of the A horizon in a Brazilian Xanthic Hapludox soil under both forest and agricultural crop cover. The arrangement of minerals, amorphous material, organic matter, and biota in aggregates of diameter 2000 μm was highly dependent on aggregate size, consistent with the hierarchical model. Detailed examination of the levels of structural organization in the soil led to an improved model of aggregate hierarchy for Oxisols. Face-to-face orientation of kaolinite in domains 200 nm to 2 μm diameter were bound together with goethite and organic matter. Domains combined with bacteria, fungal hyphae, and polysaccharides to form larger clusters (2–20 μm). These clusters combined with larger, less decomposed, organic materials and silt-sized minerals to form microaggregates (20–250 μm). Soil aggregates>250 μm diameter were formed by the combination of microaggregates and parts of plant roots. Oxisol aggregation thus follows a process of stepwise amalgamation and disruption of hierarchical order, with the content of organic matter being a key factor in the stabilization of soil structure. Organic matter was abundant in the forested soil, but was nearly absent from the cultivated soil.
Listener Perception of Monopitch, Naturalness, and Intelligibility for Speakers With Parkinson's Disease.

Purpose Given the potential significance of speech naturalness to functional and social rehabilitation outcomes, the objective of this study was to examine the effect of listener perceptions of monopitch on speech naturalness and intelligibility in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Method Two short utterances were extracted from monologue samples of 16 speakers with PD and 5 age-matched adults without PD. Sixteen listeners evaluated these stimuli for monopitch, speech naturalness and intelligibility using the visual sort and rate method. Results Naive listeners can reliably judge monopitch, speech naturalness, and intelligibility with minimal familiarization. While monopitch and speech intelligibility were only moderately correlated, monopitch and speech naturalness were highly correlated. Conclusions A great deal of attention is currently being paid to improvement of vocal loudness and thus speech intelligibility in PD. Our findings suggest that prosodic characteristics such as monopitch should ...
Technology Wars: Mending the Failure of Democratic Discourse

Controversies over the use and regulation of various technologies pervade public discourse and have serious implications for the public interest. Conflicts over the regulation of genetically modified food, nuclear power, and nanotechnology, among others, fuel some of the most socially and politically explosive debates of our time. These technology conflicts extract a substantial cost from society - they create costly inefficiencies, prevent society from optimally managing new technologies, consume vast resources, and retard technological growth.Existing scholarship does not explain or adequately address the teleology of conflict over technology. This Article examines the nature of legal and regulatory technology conflict, diagnoses the sources of that conflict, and proposes innovative solutions to the conflicts. This analysis integrates original empirical research and a multi-disciplinary body of scholarship from the fields of law, behavioral economics, psychology, and political science, to develop a descriptive and prescriptive framework for understanding and resolving legal and regulatory technology controversies.The proposed framework sheds light on the inefficiency, paralysis, and polarization produced by technology conflict, and on democratic and market failures that inhibit resolution of these conflicts. As a result, the framework reconceptualizes our understanding of technology controversies, revealing new ways to improve social welfare by resolving seemingly intractable legal and regulatory standoffs. These teachings have potentially far-reaching consequences for conflict resolution in non-technology areas as well.
Saint Anselm and His Students Writing about Love: A Theological Foundation for the Rise of Romantic Love in Europe

Stephen Jaeger, in his pathbreaking book Ennobling Love: In Search of a Lost Sensibility, redefines the birth of romantic love in literature in twelfth-century Europe. He argues persuasively that in the twelfth century the idealistic, spiritual, chastely passionate, morally instructive, and reverential "ennobling love" in the Western tradition that had begun with the Greeks was transformed into medieval courtly love, a new concept rooted in the new "inclusion of women in a social code that until then had
Fire history and postfire forest development in an upland watershed of interior Alaska

[1] We reconstructed the history of wildfire in the study area of the 1999 FROSTFIRE experimental fire in interior Alaska using information from fire-scarred trees, fire-killed trees, tree recruitment dates, tree radial growth increases, and aerial photographs. This combination of methods resulted in more temporal and spatial precision than would have been possible with any subset. Stand-destroying wildfires affected 93% of the FROSTFIRE watershed and 47% of the control watershed between 1896 and 1925. We found no evidence for severe fires earlier in the 19th century or later in the 20th century, suggesting a temporal cluster of fires. The ignition of some of these fires may be associated with early 20th century mining activity near the study area. There is no evidence that any part of the study area has been burned by more than one severe fire in the past 200–250 years, suggesting fire frequencies lower than previously published estimates. Forests with prefire species composition developed within several decades following fire in birch forests and black spruce forests. South-facing birch forests show no evidence of succeeding to white spruce forests 200 years after fire.
Phase-Field Simulation of Interface Effect during Grain Nucleation

In this paper, a phase field model based on Ginzburg-Landau theory is used to analyze the topological phenomena during grain growth. The simulation results show that two topological transformations exist during the grain growth—Neighbor Switching and Grain Annihilation; and we have found different kinds of topological events during the disappearance of a grain: direct vanishing of trilateral grain and pentagonal grain, as well as neighbor switching，which are right with classical topological theory and Euler formula. The simulation results are similar with experiments.
Corrosion of copper and steel alloys in a simulated underground storage-tank sump environment containing acid-producing bacteria

Abstract We simulate corrosion observed in underground fuel storage tank systems by headspace and aqueous exposure to biotic organic acid. Carbon steel and copper were exposed to Acetobacter sp. inoculated into aqueous-ethanol solutions over a period of approximately 30 days. The steel alloy exhibited pitting corrosion and the copper alloy exhibited pitting and intergranular corrosion due to acetic acid produced by the microbes. Corrosion rates were dependent on formation of corrosion products and are ranked as follows in order of increasing magnitude: Copper-aqueous
Fiaca and Veron-ismo: race and silence in Argentine football.

This paper explores the relationship between race and post‐coloniality in Argentina through the prism of football. More specifically, it does so through a reading of the personage and physiognomy of Juan Sebastian Veron, one of Argentina's most renowned players. The paper uses the metaphor of fiaca, the cultural practice of ‘relaxation’, to discourse about football, and the celebrity that attains to Veron, and the ways in which sport functions as a loaded political intersection. The rendering of Veron as a black footballer facilitates a discussion about race, an anachronistic modernity, the complicated disjuncture between ideology and geography, and resistance to post‐coloniality as it obtains in contemporary Argentine society. Because of the signal role that football plays in Argentina, this paper argues that Veron – and his footballing predecessors and contemporaries – enables a complex engagement with the racial politics of this Latin American country – and its relationship to its neighbours.
Characteristics of the Eidetic Phenomenon

Resume LES CARACTERISTIQUES DU PHENOMENE EDITIQUE Seize eleves negres de la sixieme annee scolaire, mis en paires pour l'ǎge, le sexe, et l'intelligence, huit eidetiques (groupe experimental) et huit noneidetiques (groupe de contrŏle) ont ete testes pour les images eidetiques, les images consecutives, et les images de memoire dans les měmes conditions. Les resultats indiquent que les images de memoire sont le plus facilement reveillees et sont plus riches en detail que les images eidetiques. Toutes deux sont egalement d'une grandeur inexacte, se montrent apres une exposition de dix secondes, n'exigent nulle fixation speciale, et sont d'une couleur positive. D'accord avec d'autres investigateurs, on a constate que l'image eidetique continue plus longtemps dans le champ de vision, et exige une fixation plus courte et moins rigide que l'image consecutive. On doit considerer eidetiques les images visuelles positives. Les images immediates de memoire des non-eidetiques sont plus nombreuses, plus detaillees, et...
291 HYPOTHROXINEMIA IN SICK AND WELL NEWBORN INFANTS

Hypothyroxinemia (HT) has been implicated as a factor in the etiology of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). To assess the importance of HT, we measured thyroxine (T4) by filter paper spot (FPS) in the first 5 days of life in premature infants (PI) with RDS, PI with illnesses other than RDS, well PI, sick term infants (TI) and well TI. FPT4 estimates, as ug/dl serum, were comparable to simultaneously obtained serum T4 values in each group. Mean FPT4 values were similar in PI with RDS and in PI with other illnesses and were lower than in well PI (p<.001). The mean FPT4 value for well PI was similar to that for sick TI and both were lower than for well TI (p<.001). TSH, measured by FPS, was <10uU/ml in all infants with FPT4 <4ug/d1. Serum creatine phosphokinase levels, which are elevated in hypothyroidism, were lower in PI than in TI and did not correlate with FPT4 levels. HT, without other biochemical signs of hypothyroidism, is a frequent finding in sick newborns and is not limited to RDS.
Multiple-valued logic unit design using polarization-encoded optical shadow-casting

Abstract An efficient technique for the design of multiple-valued logic circuits using polarization-encoded optical shadow-casting is presented. As an illustration, a trinary full subtracter is designed using this technique. The resulting logic unit is compared with those obtained by using other algorithms.
Reactions of Au(CH3)2(acac) on γ-Al2O3: Characterization of the surface organic, organometallic, metal oxide, and metallic species

The reaction of Au(CH3)2(acac) with the partially dehydroxylated surface of γ-Al2O3 (calcined at 673 K) and the subsequent formation of supported gold clusters upon treatment of the supported species in He at various temperatures and 1 atm were investigated with infrared (IR) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectorscopies, and X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES). The IR spectra show that Au(CH3)2(acac) reacts readily at room temperature with both surface OH groups and coordinatively unsaturated aluminum sites of the γ-Al2O3 surface, forming supported mononuclear gold complexes and {Al}−acac species (where the braces refer to surface Al sites). EXAFS data demonstrate the formation of mononuclear gold complexes as the predominant surface gold species, confirmed by the lack of Au−Au contributions in the EXAFS spectra. The mononuclear complex is represented as {AlO}2−AuIII(CH3)2, with the Au−O bonding distance being 2.15 A. Treatment of {AlO}2−AuIII(CH3)2 in He at 323 K and 1 atm...
Liver tumors induced in B6C3F1 mice by 7-chlorobenz[a]anthracene and 7-bromobenz[a]anthracene contain K-ras protooncogene mutations.

Abstract We previously examined the tumorigenicity of 7-chlorobenz[a]anthracene (7-Cl-BA) and 7-bromobenz[a]anthracene (7-Br-BA) in the neonatal mouse bioassay and found that 7-Cl-BA and 7-Br-BA induced hepatocellular adenoma in 92 and 96% of the mice and hepatocellular carcinoma in 100 and 83% of the mice, respectively. In the present study, mRNA was isolated from each of the liver tumors induced by the two compounds and reverse-transcribed to cDNA. Portions of the K- and H-ras oncogene coding sequences were then amplified and analyzed for DNA sequence alterations. Eighty-three percent (20/24) of 7-Cl-BA-induced and 91% (20/22) of 7-Br-BA-induced liver tumors had activated ras protooncogenes. In contrast to the general finding of H-ras mutations in B6C3F1 mouse liver tumors, both compounds had 95% (19/20) of the mutations located at the first base of K-ras codon 13, resulting in a pattern of G GC→ C GC. Thus, our results demonstrate that 7-Cl-BA and 7-Br-BA induce a unique type of ras (K-ras) oncogene activation in liver tumors of B6C3F1 mice.
Temperature dependence of 3He polarization in aluminum storage cells

Abstract The temperature dependence of the polarization of 3 He atoms in an internal target cell has been studied. Metastable optically pumped polarized 3 He atoms with typical polarization values of 40% were injected into a thin-walled aluminum cell of 40 cm length and a 29.0 × 9.8 mm 2 elliptical cross-section. The cell temperature was varied between 5 and 85 K. The polarization inside the target cell was measured via an asymmetry in the 3 He → (d,p) 4 He reaction at a deuteron energy of 4 MeV. An exponential decrease of the polarization was found for temperatures less than 15 K. For a temperature of ∼6 K a polarization consistent with zero was measured.
The competitiveness of coal briquettes in Pakistan

Abstract Firewood and charcoal use in Pakistan has led to extensive deforestation, whereas kerosene use depletes the country's foreign exchange earnings. Substituting coal briquettes from indigenous coal for these fuels in residential and commercial, institutional, and light-industrial cooking and heating could help alleviate these problems. We evaluate the potential financial success of an unsubsidized, private sector, coal-briquetting venture in Pakistan and find that coal briquettes could compete successfully with firewood in some markets, particularly in urban areas of the Punjab and the North West Frontier Province, as well as with charcoal and kerosene in most areas of Pakistan. Our consumer testing indicates that residential consumers are relatively positive on briquette use for cooking and space heating, while most commercial users probably would adopt briquettes more slowly. The most promising briquette is a coal-biomass mixture not requiring carbonization. Briquette marketing and distribution, the impact of government tax and competing fuels policies, and the health effects of coal-briquette emissions are also examined.
Detection of norovirus-, sapovirus- and rhesus enteric calicivirus-specific antibodies in captive juvenile macaques.

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of anti-norovirus (NoV), -sapovirus (SaV) and -Tulane virus (TV) antibodies in rhesus macaques of the Tulane National Primate Research Center and to evaluate the antigenic relationship between these viruses. A high prevalence of NoV-binding (51–61 %) and SaV-binding (50–56 %) antibodies and TV-neutralizing (69 %) antibodies were detected. Serum samples obtained during a human NoV outbreak and a multivalent anti-NoV hyperimmune serum were not able to neutralize TV infectivity. Conversely, low levels of cross-reactivity between the prototype TV and NoVs, but not between the TV and SaVs were detected by ELISA. These data indicate the preservation of some cross-reactive B-cell epitopes between the rhesus and human caliciviruses (CVs). The high prevalence of human and rhesus CV-specific serum antibodies suggests the frequent exposure of colony macaques to enteric CVs including the possibility of CV transmission between human and non-human primate hosts.
Physician and patient attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine in obstetrics and gynecology

In the U.S., complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is most prevalent among reproductive age, educated women. We sought to determine general attitudes and approaches to CAM among obstetric and gynecology patients and physicians. Obstetrician-gynecologist members of the American Medical Association in the state of Michigan and obstetric-gynecology patients at the University of Michigan were surveyed. Physician and patient attitudes and practices regarding CAM were characterized. Surveys were obtained from 401 physicians and 483 patients. Physicians appeared to have a more positive attitude towards CAM as compared to patients, and most reported routinely endorsing, providing or referring patients for at least one CAM modality. The most commonly used CAM interventions by patients were divergent from those rated highest among physicians, and most patients did not consult with a health care provider prior to starting CAM. Although obstetrics/gynecology physicians and patients have a positive attitude towards CAM, physician and patients' view of the most effective CAM therapies were incongruent. Obstetrician/gynecologists should routinely ask their patients about their use of CAM with the goal of providing responsible, evidence-based advice to optimize patient care.