cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Fiscal Decentralization on the Financial Condition of Municipal Government

This study examines the effect of fiscal decentralization between states and their local governments on the financial condition of municipal governments. There are strong theoretical arguments on both sides of the federalism debate about the benefits for and against decentralization. Most of the research in this area investigates economic and social welfare consequences of fiscal decentralization. There is limited research, however, on the effects of fiscal decentralization on the financial health of local governments. Using data from the nation’s 150 largest cities, this study finds that intrastate fiscal decentralization results in weaker financial condition for municipalities in those states.
Gestational alcoholism and fetal zinc accretion in Long-Evans rats.

An animal study was conducted to examine the effects of alcohol consumption on placental transfer of zinc during late gestation. Throughout pregnancy, rat dams were fed a nutritionally adequate diet with 30% of total kcal as alcohol. On days 18 and 21 of pregnancy, zinc-65 was injected subcutaneously into the dams and the dams were killed 24 hours later; tissues were removed for analyses. Maternal serum, liver, kidney, and heart zinc decreased with gestational age while total fetal zinc increased. Neither the decrease in maternal organ zinc nor fetal accretion were affected by alcohol consumption. Placental zinc concentration also declined with developmental age and was not influenced by alcohol consumption. The decrease in placental zinc was accompanied by a decrease in zinc associated with 4-10-kD proteins of placental cytosol. Our results suggest that zinc flux during late rat gestation is a well-regulated process that is not influenced by alcohol consumption. Coordination of the transfer apparently is...
Student perceptions and learning outcomes of computer-assisted versus traditional instruction in physiology.

This study compared student perceptions and learning outcomes of computer-assisted instruction against those of traditional didactic lectures. Components of Quantitative Circulatory Physiology (Bio...
The Effects of Buffer and Temperature Feedback on the Oceanic Uptake of CO2

The feedback between climate and carbon cycle systems is critical to the prediction of future CO2 concen- tration in the atmosphere and the capacity of the oceans to take up CO2from the atmosphere. We calculated the mag- nitudes of the potential feedback between the increase of atmospheric CO2concentration, the carbonate chemistry of theoceans (viaabuerfactor), andtheglobal temperature. We nd that the magnitude of the buer feedback depends stronglyonthelevelofthedissolvedinorganiccarbon(DIC) in the oceans and increases rapidly with the increase of the atmospheric CO2concentration. The buerfeedback would resultinanincreaseof 95ppmintheatmosphericCO2con- centrationandadecreaseof236GtCabsorbedbytheoceans from theatmosphere between year2000 and 2100 underthe Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) sce- nario IS92e. By coupling our buer feedback model with a global energy balance model, wendthatglobal mean tem- perature increased 0.65 C from 1860 to 1990, which agreed well with the recorded value of 0.61 C. However, the ocean carbonate chemistry is quite insensitive to global tempera- ture.
A Cybernetic Model of Global Personality Traits

Neurobehavioral studies of human and animal temperament have shed light on how individual personality traits influence human actions. This approach, however, leaves open questions about how the entire system of traits and temperaments function together to exercise control. To address this key issue, I describe a cybernetic model of control and then apply it to the Big Five (B5) personality traits. Employing evidence from descriptive trait terms, temperamental behavioral processes associated with traits, and empirical correlates of traits, I relate distinct cybernetic processes of self-regulation to the B5 traits. The B5 traits broadly parallel basic cybernetic self-regulation processes. For example, the core behavior activation property of the B5 Extraversion trait can be mapped onto the device output function of automated cybernetic control systems. Implications and limitations of interpreting personality traits in self-regulation terms are discussed.
High resolution analysis of bird sounds

Bird songs and calls have been studied using modern signal processing techniques in both time and frequency domains. The complex modulations of these natural sounds are interpreted by a popular bioacoustic model of avian sound production. High resolution signal processing techniques have been applied to the problem of dual-voice detection within bird sounds. Improved time and frequency analyses of these signals have been achieved.
Profile of Preadolescent Values: Revisited

The findings obtained from a survey of values among sixth grade pupils were compared with those of a survey from an earlier generation of pupils in 1972 using the same questionnaire in the same schools and at the same grade level. There was complete agreement on three of the highest values, all indicating a preference for love and affection. Differences in ranking across the decade were for mid-level items with the 1982 group elevating a few relatively individualistic values and reducing the rankings of more social values such as Politeness and A Secure Country. Comparisons were also made for sub-groups of the 1982 population by sex and ethnicity. The proportion of each sub-group that ranked an item above the mean for the generational group is reported. Only 8 out of 116 values were significantly different across groups, a finding consistent with evidence that agreement within a generational group tends to be strong.
Sjögren’s syndrome and Neuromyelitis Optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) – a case report and review of literature

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a rare relapsing auto-immune disease of the central nervous system which is sometimes found in association with other autoimmune disorders including Sjogren’s syndrome. We present the case of a middle aged female with Sjogren’s syndrome (SS) and Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) who had a rapidly declining neurological illness that responded to immunosuppressive therapy. A 51-year-old female with Sjogren’s syndrome and recent history of varicella zoster infection presented with right upper and lower extremity weakness of one week duration. She was noted to have contrast enhancement at C2-C4 cord levels on cervico-thoracic MRI. Comprehensive work up was negative except for presence of a mild lymphocytic pleocytosis and oligoclonal bands in the CSF. She was diagnosed with transverse myelitis secondary to varicella zoster infection and was treated with high dose steroids in addition to acyclovir with improvement in her symptoms. Two months later she developed left upper and lower extremity weakness, bilateral dysesthesias and urinary incontinence. Repeat MRI of the cervico-thoracic spine revealed worsening enhancement at lower cervical cord levels (C5-7) with extension to T1. CSF analysis was unchanged; however immunological work up was abnormal for elevated NMO-IgG/AQP4 antibody. She was diagnosed with NMOSD and was treated with immunosuppressive therapy. Initially with IV methylprednisone and Cyclophosphamide therapy followed by Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) maintenance therapy with good response. Repeat MRI 6 months later showed near complete resolution of previous abnormal cord signal changes. One needs to recognize the relationship between autoimmune diseases especially SS and NMOSD. The presence of NMO antibody has been associated with a relapsing disease course and a careful follow-up, besides use of remission maintenance agents such as MMF and Azathioprine are important to consider.
Utility of lung ultrasound in predicting pulmonary and cardiac pressures.

Aims Quantification of linear lung ultrasound (LUS) artefacts (B-lines) represents a novel, non-invasive approach to assess pulmonary congestion. We investigated the relationship between the number of B-lines (vertical artefacts arising from the pleural line) and intracardiac pressures. Methods and results Prior to scheduled right heart catheterization (RHC), 100 subjects underwent LUS of eight zones. A reviewer blinded to the haemodynamic data quantified the number of sonographic B-lines. Of 92 subjects who completed RHC, 79 had adequate LUS data of all zones [median age 61 years, 26 women, median left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 58%, 35 with history of heart failure; 22 postcardiac transplantation]. The number of B-lines correlated with measured right atrial (r = 0.32), pulmonary artery diastolic (PADP) (r = 0.34), mean pulmonary artery (mPAP) (r = 0.43), pulmonary artery systolic (PASP) (r = 0.48) pressures, and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) (r = 0.51) (P < 0.005 for all), but not with pulmonary capillary wedge pressure. There was a graded association between tertiles of B-line number and increasing PADP, mPAP, PASP, and PVR (P for trend ≤0.001 for all). Each additional B-line was associated with an increase in PASP of 1 mmHg and an increase in PVR of 0.1 Wood units. These associations remained robust after multivariable adjustment (P = 0.002). Assessment of two inferior lateral zones resulted in similar correlations to the eight-zone method. Conclusions Easily obtainable, LUS may be useful in the estimation of right-sided cardiac pressures and PVR. Further evaluation of lung ultrasound as an adjunct to heart failure diagnosis, monitoring, and prognosis is warranted.
GaInAsP solar cells with the ideal band gap for terrestrial concentrator applications

Computer modeling studies of single-junction solar cells have been used to determine the ideal band gap for operation under concentration. Results of the modeling show that the presence of absorption bands in the direct spectrum have the effect of "pinning" the optimum band gap for a wide range of operating conditions at a value of 1.14 eV. The model predicts that practical efficiencies exceeding 30% are possible at high concentration ratios for devices with the ideal band gap. This paper describes the authors' initial attempts to fabricate concentrator solar cells with a band gap of 1.14 eV from the quaternary alloy GaInAsP lattice matched to InP. An efficiency value of 27.5% at 171 Suns is reported for this device and areas for future improvement are outlined. >
Production of Oil and Protein Food Products from Raw Peanuts by Aqueous Extraction and Ultrafiltration

Two significant protein isolation techniques (the Aqueous Extraction Process and the Membrane Isolation Process) were combined to obtain a new processing strategy for producing oil and protein food products from raw peanuts. Three varieties of peanuts were processed to obtain either a low-fat isolate or a full-fat product and an oil cream using aqueous extraction, centrifugation and industrial ultrafiltration membranes. Proximate and amino acid analyses and nitrogen solubility profiles were made on spray-dried products. Mean membrane permeation rates achieved exceeded 70 gallons per sq ft per day (gfd). Protein products possessed high nitrogen solubility, a bland taste, and were desirably light in color.
Dominant-Lethal α-Tubulin Mutants Defective in Microtubule Depolymerization in Yeast

The dynamic instability of microtubules has long been understood to depend on the hydrolysis of GTP bound to β-tubulin, an event stimulated by polymerization and necessary for depolymerization. Crystallographic studies of tubulin show that GTP is bound by β-tubulin at the longitudinal dimer-dimer interface and contacts particular α-tubulin residues in the next dimer along the protofilament. This structural arrangement suggests that these contacts could account for assembly-stimulated GTP hydrolysis. As a test of this hypothesis, we examined, in yeast cells, the effect of mutating the α-tubulin residues predicted, on structural grounds, to be involved in GTPase activation. Mutation of these residues to alanine (i.e., D252A and E255A) created poisonous α-tubulins that caused lethality even as minor components of the α-tubulin pool. When the mutant α-tubulins were expressed from the galactose-inducible promoter of GAL1, cells rapidly acquired aberrant microtubule structures. Cytoplasmic microtubules were largely bundled, spindle assembly was inhibited, preexisting spindles failed to completely elongate, and occasional, stable microtubules were observed unattached to spindle pole bodies. Time-lapse microscopy showed that microtubule dynamics had ceased. Microtubules containing the mutant proteins did not depolymerize, even in the presence of nocodazole. These data support the view that α-tubulin is a GTPase-activating protein that acts, during microtubule polymerization, to stimulate GTP hydrolysis in β-tubulin and thereby account for the dynamic instability of microtubules.
Termination of psychodynamic psychotherapy with adolescents: A review and contemporary perspective

In psychodynamic psychotherapy with adolescents, termination-the phase of treatment during which the patient and his or her parents end a therapeutic relationship with a therapist-has received limited attention in the extant literature. Despite this oversight, termination is of critical clinical importance. This phase of psychotherapy with adolescents is heralded by the integration and consolidation of progress, relational changes, and the relinquishing of the symptoms that brought the adolescent to treatment. Herein, the relevant literature surrounding termination in psychodynamic psychotherapeutic work with adolescents will be reviewed. Important aspects of termination will be highlighted and discussed, including (1) criteria for termination, (2) techniques for working with parents, (3) "forced terminations," (4) countertransference, and (5) common complications that arise during this phase of treatment. Finally, the complexities of the termination process as well as recent contributions to our understanding of this critically important process from attachment theory and intersubjectivity will be illustrated with clinical material.
Brief Stability and L2 gain properties of LPV systems

Stability and L"2 gain properties of linear parameter-varying systems are obtained under assumed bounds on either the maximum or average value of the parameter rate.
Technology and Labor Regulation: Evidence from the Retail Sector in India

A commonly held but untested belief is that the adoption of modern technology such as computers could be endogenous to labor regulations. We test for this belief using micro data at the store level for the retail sector in India. Our results show a strong positive relationship between the severity of labor laws and computer usage confirming the stated belief while for other business regulations, this relationship is negative. We discuss the broader implications of our findings for employment generation, income inequality between the skilled and unskilled and for estimating the productivity enhancing effects of computer usage.
Strategic Timing and Backdating of Executive Stock Option Exercises: Before and After the Sarbanes-Oxley Act

This paper considers executive stock option exercise timing in light of the potential for backdating of exercise dates. I find that 29 (16) percent of executive option exercises were not associated with same-day disposition of shares before (after) the August 29, 2002, enactment of more restrictive SEC reporting requirements for insider transactions under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. I interpret this as evidence executives often exercise options with the intention of holding the acquired shares for at least a year in order to qualify for long-term capital gains tax treatment on stock appreciation beyond the exercise date. Exercises accompanied by stock disposition are associated with a stock return peak, and exercises not accompanied by stock disposition are associated with a stock return trough. Further tests indicate that in the pre-Sarbanes-Oxley period executives timed exercises ex ante based on private information regardless of the stock disposition strategy, and they often backdated exercise dates when they held the acquired shares or disposed of shares back to the company only. In the post-Sarbanes-Oxley period, executives appear to have benefited through ex ante information timing only.
Pooling of continuous features provides a unifying account of crowding

Visual crowding refers to phenomena in which the perception of a peripheral target is strongly affected by nearby flankers. Observers often report seeing the stimuli as "jumbled up," or otherwise confuse the target with the flankers. Theories of visual crowding contend over which aspect of the stimulus gets confused in peripheral vision. Attempts to test these theories have led to seemingly conflicting results, with some experiments suggesting that the mechanism underlying crowding operates on unbound features like color or orientation (Parkes, Lund, Angelucci, Solomon, & Morgan, 2001), while others suggest it "jumbles up" more complex features, or even objects like letters (Korte, 1923). Many of these theories operate on discrete features of the display items, such as the orientation of each line or the identity of each item. By contrast, here we examine the predictions of the Texture Tiling Model, which operates on continuous feature measurements (Balas, Nakano, & Rosenholtz, 2009). We show that the main effects of three studies from the crowding literature are consistent with the predictions of Texture Tiling Model. This suggests that many of the stimulus-specific curiosities surrounding crowding are the inherent result of the informativeness of a rich set of image statistics for the particular tasks.
STUDIES OF THE ANTIHEMOPHILIC FACTOR (AHF, FACTOR VIII) PRODUCED IN VON WILLEBRAND'S DISEASE.

In 1959 one of us pointed out that the apparent dependence of plasma antihemophilic factor (AHF, F. VIII) level on the activity of 2 genetic loci must have significance with respect to AHF synthesis(l). At that time only structural genes were generally considered operative in protein synthesis. This coupled with the widespread acceptance of the “one gene—one enzyme” concept impeded consideration of models for AHF synthesis involving 2 loci. Since then it has become apparent that both structural and regulatory genes function in bacteria(2) and that 2, non-allelic structural genes are sometimes involved in protein synthesis in mammals, e.g., hemoglobin in humans.It has been found experimentally that the 2 mutant phenotypes showing reduced plasma AHF levels, hemophilia A and von Willebrand's disease (v.W.d.), do not “complement” in vitro as do hemophilias A and B, for example. This is in fact the basis for the assertion that AHF is “deficient” in v.W.d. A paradoxical type of “complementation” does occur in v...
Multimodal Therapy and Music Therapy: Assessing and Treating the Whole Person

Multimodal Therapy was developed by Arnold Lazarus for assessing and treating psychiatric clients in a holistic manner. His scheme recognizes sevendiscrete yet interrelated dimensions of human func­ tioning: behavior, affect, sensation, imagery, cognition, inter­ personal, and physical well-being. This article suggestsa method to maximize the effectivenessof client assessmentand treatment. Clini­ cal examples illustrate the integration of music therapy into this approach. Multimodel therapy offers the possibility of achieving a balanced view of the client as a whole person. It freesthe therapist to integrate and choose from a wide variety of treatment modalities. Despite an abundant and diverse assortment of music therapy tech­ niques, a glaring deficiency exists in the conceptual realm. Therapists need an accessibleframework within which they can assessa client's needsand strengths and consciously choose an effective course of treatment. With today's emphasis on holistic medicine, the most beneficial schemewould be one which recognizes and categorizesthe aspectsof human functioning, rather than one which takes stock of types of activities or current trends in the more verbal or analytical therapies. Therapists and educators have the need for a theoretical framework to focus the therapeutic process. Several writers have offered conceptual overviews of music therapy. One of the broader and more useful schemesis set forth in Music Therapy Perspectives (1983). In her articles, Wheeler delineates a continuum of music therapy procedures which range from the activity-oriented to reeducative therapy to re-constructive therapy, the latter two emphasizing insight. Many of the more frequently cited goals are thought of in music therapy asactivity therapy. Thesegoals include increasing the toleration of instruc­ tion; increasing attention-span, and enhancing the client's self-esteem, awareness, and interpersonal skills. Reeducation goals help clients gain insights and cope with their feelings and situations here-and-now. Recon­
Mentoring Profession Part I: The “De-profession” of Medicine — How and Why

External influences acting on the health field today threaten the very fabric of the vocation. As practitioners struggle to meld business ethics with the traditional values of the healing profession, students face conflicting messages regarding the meaning of medical professionalism. In order to ensure that the vital teleological aspects of the health care profession remain intact, the preparation of medical professionals must be firmly rooted in ethical mentoring relationships throughout the educational process. This has been true throughout the 2,500-year evolution of medical practice. From the Greek and Roman practice of apprenticeship to the current role of teachers as mentors in medical education, direct observation and experience has been integral to the success of training practitioners. Empathy and compassion must be reestablished as foundational elements of physician-student interactions in order to ensure that humanism is not lost in the provision of patient care.
Experimental Research of Heat Treatment Process Optimization for DP590 Cold Rolled Steel

The influence of heating temperature,cooling rate,overaging temperature on the microstructure and properties of DP590 cold rolled steel is determined by adopting orthogonal experiment. The experiment results showed that: the amount of austenite transformed to martensite is greatly reduced by the cooling rate 30℃ / s and the overaging temperature 330℃. The optimized heat treatment process is heating temperature 780℃,cooling rate 60℃ / s,overaring temperature 280℃.
Analysis on Imported Malaria Cases in Mianyang,2005-2009

Objective To investigate the epidemic trend of malaria in Mianyang from 2005 to 2009,and provide a scientific evidence for the prevention and control of imported malaria.Methods The data of malaria incidence in Mianyang were collected from annual report of malaria and national disease reporting information system,and descriptive analysis was conducted.Results The incidence of malaria was stable from 2005-2009 with 19 reported cases and annual incidence rate of 0.075/105.All the cases were imported ones.The incidence peaked during April-June and was without obvious regional difference.Most cases were young males,the male to female ratio of the cases was 5.33∶1.The cases were aged 20-50 years.The cases were infected in Africa,in Myanmar and in Hainan and Yunnan provinces in China.Conclusions It is necessary to strengthen the management of floating population,pay more attention to health education and strengthen the surveillance,prevention and control of malaria by conducting training to decrease the risk of secondary transmission.
Learning co-reference relations for FOAF instances

FOAF is widely used on the Web to describe people, groups and organizations and their properties. Since FOAF does not require unique IDs, it is often unclear when two FOAF instances are co-referent, i.e., denote the same entity in the world. We describe a prototype system that identifies sets of co-referent FOAF instances using logical constraints (e.g., IFPs), strong heuristics (e.g., FOAF agents described in the same file are not co-referent), and a Support Vector Machine (SVM) generated classifier.
Effect of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Administered Early in the Estrous Cycle on Ovulation and Subsequent Luteal Function in Cows

Cows of mixed beef breeds were randomly assigned to receive one of three treatments: 1) i.v. injection of hCG on d 6 of the estrous cycle (estrus = d 0) and slaughter on d 12 to 14, 2) i.v. injection of saline on d 6 and slaughter on d 12 to 14, or 3) slaughter on d 5 to 7. Corpora lutea (CL) were collected at slaughter and weighed. A portion of each CL was cultured for 6 h with no hormone or various doses of LH (25, 50, or 100 ng/mL of medium). All cows that received an hCG injection on d 6 (Treatment 1) exhibited a luteal structure in addition to the CL present at the time of hCG administration. Thus, the following CL were evaluated: 6-d-old (induced) CL from Treatment 1 (d-6 hCG) and 13-d-old (natural) CL from Treatment 1 (d-13 hCG), 13-d-old CL from Treatment 2 (d 13), and 6-d-old CL from Treatment 3 (d 6). From d 9 to 13, daily plasma progesterone concentrations were greater (P < .01) for cows on Treatment 1 than for cows on Treatment 2. Whereas LH stimulated (P < .01) progesterone secretion regardless of treatment, progesterone secretion in vitro was greater (P < .01) for CL from saline-treated cows (Treatments 2 and 3) than for CL from hCG-treated cows (Treatment 1). No effect of hCG was observed for luteal DNA, RNA, or protein concentrations, or for luteal RNA:DNA or protein:DNA ratios.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
TB or Not TB, That Was a Jewish Question: Moses, Kashrut, and the Prevention of Tuberculosis

In March 1900, an individual identified only as “Medicus” wrote a letter to the New York Times about “the tuberculosis problem.” The very immediate and practical crisis of tuberculosis, “Medicus” suggested, could possibly be addressed and remedied through the ancient laws of Moses. It was now generally conceded, with the acceptance of the germ theory of disease, that tuberculosis was infectious and not hereditary. This meant that health officials and policy makers must begin to think not only or primarily about what to do with those who were already ill, but how to prevent the healthy from becoming sick. “Medicus” devised an imaginary dialogue between an older, more traditional medical authority and a young, progressive voice. The former believes that treating TB means dealing with those already ill: those in an advanced state must be isolated, given whatever aid can be provided, and prevented from infecting others; those in the early stages of the disease should be treated and cured if possible. Then the progressive voice is heard. Why not try to prevent the disease? How? It is generally agreed that the cow and cow's milk are the origin of tuberculosis. “Keep your cattle in good shape, learn to recognize disease in them and consumption will cease.” Where is the evidence for such claims? “Talmudic writings show that the wise men of Judea recognized the existence of tubercle in cattle and its consequent danger to human kind.”
Global Optimization of Stochastic Multivariable Functions

This paper presents a new methodology for global optimization of the stochastic multivariable functions subjet to stochastic, possibly nonlinear constraints. The least squares parametric estimation is applied as an intermediate step in the stochastic optimizer which uses a special transformation to capture the global optima estimate. A comparative study of implementing estimation in polynomial least squares, versus spline fitting is also presented together with the illustrative examples.
The evolution of spatial audio in the allosphere

Spatial audio has been at the core of the multimodal experience at the AlloSphere, a unique instrument for data discovery and exploration through interactive immersive display, since its conception. The AlloSphere multichannel spatial audio design has direct roots in the history of electroacoustic spatial audio and is the result of previous activities in spatial audio at the University of California at Santa Barbara. A concise technical description of the AlloSphere, its architectural and acoustic features, its unique 3-D visual projection system, and the current 54.1 Meyer Sound audio infrastructure is presented, with details of the audio software architecture and the immersive sound capabilities it supports. As part of the process of realizing scientific and artistic projects for the AlloSphere, spatial audio research has been conducted, including the use of decorrelation of audio signals to supplement spatialization and tackling the thorny problem of interactive up-mixing through the Sound Element Spatializer and the Zirkonium Chords project. The latter uses the metaphor of geometric spatial chords as a high-level means of spatial up-mixing in performance. Other developments relating to spatial audio are presented, such as Ryan McGee's Spatial Modulation Synthesis, which simultaneously explores the synthesis of space and timbre.
Automated Categorization of Onion Sites for Analyzing the Darkweb Ecosystem

Onion sites on the darkweb operate using the Tor Hidden Service (HS) protocol to shield their locations on the Internet, which (among other features) enables these sites to host malicious and illegal content while being resistant to legal action and seizure. Identifying and monitoring such illicit sites in the darkweb is of high relevance to the Computer Security and Law Enforcement communities. We have developed an automated infrastructure that crawls and indexes content from onion sites into a large-scale data repository, called LIGHTS, with over 100M pages. In this paper we describe Automated Tool for Onion Labeling (ATOL), a novel scalable analysis service developed to conduct a thematic assessment of the content of onion sites in the LIGHTS repository. ATOL has three core components -- (a) a novel keyword discovery mechanism (ATOLKeyword) which extends analyst-provided keywords for different categories by suggesting new descriptive and discriminative keywords that are relevant for the categories; (b) a classification framework (ATOLClassify) that uses the discovered keywords to map onion site content to a set of categories when sufficient labeled data is available; (c) a clustering framework (ATOLCluster) that can leverage information from multiple external heterogeneous knowledge sources, ranging from domain expertise to Bitcoin transaction data, to categorize onion content in the absence of sufficient supervised data. The paper presents empirical results of ATOL on onion datasets derived from the LIGHTS repository, and additionally benchmarks ATOL's algorithms on the publicly available 20 Newsgroups dataset to demonstrate the reproducibility of its results. On the LIGHTS dataset, ATOLClassify gives a 12% performance gain over an analyst-provided baseline, while ATOLCluster gives a 7% improvement over state-of-the-art semi-supervised clustering algorithms. We also discuss how ATOL has been deployed and externally evaluated, as part of the LIGHTS system.
Effects of Theory-Based Behavioral Interventions on Physical Activity Among Overweight and Obese Female Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Purpose. To determine whether theory-based physical activity (PA) interventions for overweight and obese female cancer survivors lead to increased PA and improved health. Methods. This systematic r...
Genotyping confirms significant cannibalism in northern Gulf of Mexico invasive red lionfish, Pterois volitans

DNA barcoding is used in a variety of ecological applications to identify organisms, including partially digested prey items from diet samples. That particular application can enhance the ability to characterize diet and predator–prey dynamics but is problematic when genetic sequences of prey match those of consumer species (i.e., self-DNA). Such a result may indicate cannibalism, but false positives can result from contamination of degraded prey samples with consumer DNA. Here, nuclear-encoded microsatellite markers were used to genotype invasive lionfish, Pterois volitans, consumers and their prey (n = 80 pairs) previously barcoded as lionfish. Cannibalism was confirmed when samples exhibited two or more different alleles between lionfish and prey DNA across multiple microsatellite loci. This occurred in 26.2% of all samples and in 42% of samples for which the data were considered conclusive. These estimates should be considered conservative given rigorous assignment criteria and low allelic diversity in invasive lionfish populations. The highest incidence of cannibalism corresponded to larger sized consumers from areas with high lionfish densities, suggesting cannibalism in northern Gulf of Mexico lionfish is size- and density-dependent. Cannibalism has the potential to influence population dynamics of lionfish which lack native western Atlantic predators. These results also have important implications for interpreting DNA barcoding analysis of diet in other predatory species where cannibalism may be underreported.
Roots of Democracy in Burma

Much of the political science literature on Burmese political development has mainly focused on the state, elitist politicians and efforts to build a strong nation-state in Burma based on the Hobbesian model. The analysis underscores the continuous failure of efforts to build a strong and viable state in Burma. The people’s uprising of 1988 in Burma, better known as the 8.8.88 people’s movement, is widely interpreted as a democracy movement, i.e. a movement calling for the establishment of a multi-party democracy. However, taking the analytical lens of Tocqueville and on closer examination of the political, social, religious, linguistic, and cultural factors leading toward the 8.8.88 people’s uprising, it has to be understood that that uprising was part of a long struggle to reconstitute the general equality of conditions in all aspects, including equality among different ethnic groups, relevant to Burmese society. In this essay, I apply Tocqueville's analytical language - general equality of conditions - to examine the roots of democracy in Burmese society.
Assessing Writing While Maintaining Sanity

Most science teachers may not find the prospect of adding piles of quickwrites and research papers onto an already heavy load of planning, lab work, teaching, and “extra-curricular responsibilities as needed” particularly enticing. For a science teacher with five classes of thirty students each, assigning a research project would mean grading 150 papers. Taking only ten minutes per paper would mean the expenditure of 1500 minutes, or a cool 25 hours of work.
Same-Sex Parents' Sentiment About Parenthood and the Law: Implications for Therapeutic Outcomes

As same-sex parents begin to adopt/conceive children more frequently, the legal system must determine the parental rights and responsibilities of parents who separate. In order to inform judges and legislators’ decisions, this research investigated same-sex parents’ sentiment about their roles and responsibilities as well as their experiences (as parents) with law and society. Quantitative and qualitative analyses suggested that same-sex parents assumed high amounts of parental responsibility, demonstrated strong parent–child bonds, and took on fundamental roles in their children’s lives. Many parents reported that they (or their partner) could not establish legal rights, leading to negative physical and emotional outcomes. Implications for therapeutic outcomes are discussed.
Metric Spaces and Related Topics

A unified treatment of various classes of almost periodic functions requires some basic theory of metric spaces and related topics. The concept of metric spaces was introduced at the beginning of the twentieth century by the French mathematician Maurice Frechet and has rapidly become one of the most useful tools in building modern analysis (including classical analysis and its development leading to functional analysis, both linear and nonlinear).
Introducing Existential-Phenomenological Psychology

Reflective analysis of life-world experience has been the focus of interest of philosophical phenomenology (Spiegelberg, 1960). Inspired by this work, psychologists and psychiatrists have begun to build a phenomenologically oriented approach to their disciplines (May, Angel, & Ellenberger, 1958; Spiegelberg, 1963). While much of this effort has been oriented toward clinical psychology and psychiatry, some of it is concerned with developing empirical and hermeneutical methods for doing phenomenological research on psychological phenomena. These research approaches are intended to study the meanings of human experiences in situations, as they spontaneously occur in the course of daily life. The emphasis is on the study of lived experience, on how we read, enact, and understand our life-involvements.
Glycosidases in the nervous system. II. Localization of beta-galactosidase, beta-glucuronidase, and beta-glucosidase in individual nerve cell bodies.

Abstract A modification of the analytical method employing the appropriate 4-methylumbelliferyl-β-d-glycoside as substrate and measuring the fluorescence of the 4-methylumbelliferone freed by hydrolysis permitted the measurement of β-galactosidase, β-glucuronidase, and β-glucosidase in individual anterior horn cell bodies, in individual dorsal ganglion cell bodies, and in pieces of anterior horn neuropil approximately equivalent in weight (0.01 µg) to one individual cell body. Incubation for 18 hours was necessary to measure the two latter enzymes in a single cell, whereas it was necessary to incubate β-galactosidase for only 4 hours because of its higher activity. When incubation was for 18 hours, the fall-off of activity for β-glucuronidase was negligible, but for β-galactosidase the fall-off in activity was about 57%. The results for β-glucosidase were somewhat anomalous in that the fall-off activity with time for cerebellar molecular layer was very different (over 10-fold) from the fall-off for nerve cells, neuropil, or other cerebellar layers (average of 2.5-fold). The concentration of each of these three enzymes was extremely rich in nerve cell bodies when compared with the neuropil in the cord, varying from 14- to 27-fold for dorsal ganglion cell bodies, and from 8- to 10-fold for anterior horn cell bodies. These results contrast strikingly with those found by others and ourselves in which levels of carbohydrate-metabolizing enzymes, glutamate-metabolizing enzymes, and a dipeptidase in nerve cell bodies were found to be equal to or lower than the levels in neuropil and in other parts of the nervous system.
Measurement, Accountability, and Humaneness

Personnel in innovative educational programs, especially those using federal funds, have had to face an increasing challenge to be accountable. Part of this challenge is probably caused by the seem...
A Case-Control Study of Sonographic Maximum Ovarian Diameter as a Predictor of Ovarian Torsion in Emergency Department Females With Pelvic Pain.

Background Color and power Doppler ultrasound are commonly used in the evaluation of ovarian torsion but are unreliable. Because normal-sized ovaries are unlikely to cause torsion, maximum ovarian diameter (MOD) could theoretically be used as a screening test in the ED. Identification of MOD values below which torsion is unlikely would be of benefit to providers interpreting radiology department or point-of-care pelvic ultrasound. Objectives The objective was to determine if sonographic MOD can be used as a screening tool to rule out torsion in selected patients. Methods Via a retrospective case-control study spanning a 14-year period, we examined the ultrasound characteristics of patients with torsion and age-matched controls, all presenting to the emergency department with lower abdominal pain and receiving a radiology department pelvic ultrasound for "rule-out torsion." Standardized data collection forms were utilized. Distributions of MOD were compared and sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios were calculated for multiple cutoffs. Results We identified 92 cases of surgically confirmed ovarian torsion and selected 92 age-matched controls. In postmenarchal patients the sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood ratio of 3- and 5-cm MODs were 100% (96%-100%), 30% (20%-41%), 1.4 (1.3-1.7), and 0 and 91% (83%-97%), 92% (83%-97%), 11.2 (5.5-22.9), and 0.09 (0.04-0.19), respectively. The 5-cm MOD, however, excluded an additional 52 of 84 (62%) postmenarchal patients. Conclusions A threshold MOD of 5 cm on pelvic ultrasound may be useful to rule out ovarian torsion in postmenarchal females presenting with lower abdominal and pelvic pain.
Rivalry, Control, and Transhumanist Desire

Transhumanists sometimes present their projects as fulfilling the fundamental desires for control and progress, desires they contend are natural and healthy. This view is problematized by Rene Girard’s mimetic theory of human desire and Jean-Michel Oughourlian’s theological account of the origin of desire. This perspective suggests that the desires shaping transhumanist projects arise socially through imitation. Furthermore, consuming desires for control and progress seem to be symptomatic of a mimetic rivalry with God. The church can combat this tendency by imitating Christ. This imitation shapes human desire in such a way as to put us in a right relationship with God. Decisions about technological advance must be made from this orientation.
Housing plus transportation affordability indices: Uses, opportunities, and challenges

This technical paper provides an overview of the Center for Neighborhood Technology’s (CNT) H+T affordability index and its potential application outside of the United States (US), where it has played a prominent role in documenting the relationship between housing and transportation and in influencing local and national housing policies. After describing the index and its policy use, we detail some of the challenges and opportunities of applying the index in Mexico, apply a modified H+T index to the Mexico City metropolitan area, and examine the effect of accounting for transportation costs on maps and measures of housing affordability. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of some of the opportunities and challenges of applying the H+T index in other OECD nations. The objective is to develop a better understanding of how an H+T index or similar tool could lead to improved public policy throughout the OECD.
On the Relative Importance of O–H/π Interactions in 7-Norbornenols

The geometries of the two H–O–C rotamers of synand two of anti-7-norbornenol have been optimized at the ab initio HF/6-31G** and B3LYP hybrid HF-DFT levels of theory by using a 6-31G** basis set. Contrary to an earlier report, we find that the (nongeometry constrained) anti-trans isomer (1d) is predicted to be more stable than the corresponding syn-cis form (1a). The increased stability of 1dvis-a-vis1a can be accounted for in terms of relative H(1)–C(2)–O(3)–H(4) torsion energy effects. The computational results indicate that the hydroxyl proton in 1a enters into intramolecular hydrogen bonding with the proximate C=C π bond. Supporting evidence for this conclusion resides in the fact that the 1a is predicted to possess the lowest O–H stretching frequency, a result that can be attributed to π-hydrogen bonding.
Design of organic structure directing agents for polymorph A zeolite beta

Zeolite beta is a crystalline material with layer-type faulting. The two end members with perfect crystalline order are beta A and beta B. While zeolite beta in faulted form is a widely used industrial catalyst, additional applications may be possible with the perfect crystalline forms. We here computationally design chemically synthesizable organic structure directing agents that may aid the nucleation and growth of pure zeolite beta A, excluding the competing product zeolite beta B.
Optimization of Data Collection during Public Health Emergencies—Experience with APACHE II Score

Background Capturing accurate clinical data in real time is a challenge during public health emergencies. The United States Critical Illness and Injury Trials Group-Program for Emergency Preparedness is committed to improving these preparedness efforts. Objectives We aimed to create an electronic Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II data collection instrument that (1) leverages Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) automated calculations and logic, (2) may be shared across sites, (3) overcomes limitations in existing APACHE II instruments in the REDCap library, and (4) suggests changes to be made to data collection instruments during emergencies. Methods The APACHE II instrument was implemented using REDCap. Data fields were divided into four sections: age, Acute Physiology, Glasgow Coma Scale, and chronic health status. Usability testing was followed by two preliminary evaluations: a comparison to existing APACHE II instruments and a simulated emergency exercise. Results The final instrument consisted of 34 data fields. It produced an accurate APACHE II score and was faster to complete than two previous implementations (average of 97.5 seconds vs. 323.5 and 183.5 seconds). During the simulated emergency exercise, the instrument was used at 10 sites to create 34 patient records; median time to complete the instrument was 150.5 seconds. Conclusion This project demonstrated feasibility of improving the accuracy and efficiency of a data collection instrument. Future efforts should focus on expanding these methods to develop other scoring tools for use during emergencies and additional testing to ensure it is ready for use during a real emergency.
Chemical and Radiation Training for Public Health and Nursing Students: An Under-Utilized Disaster Response Demographic

Introduction:Public health (PH) and nursing students are an underutilized demographic in disaster response. Knowledge of the disaster response phase may enhance student understanding of preparedness, and provide response capabilities.Aim:A single four-hour simulation-based training session, with toxicologists as instructors, can effectively improve PH and nursing student knowledge and skills in chemical and radiation response, despite minimal prior experience.Methods:A convenience sample was used to test PH and nursing students in a response training program. An introductory lecture and simulation training reviewed: mass casualty care, triage, personal protective equipment, decontamination, and chemical and radiation exposure toxidromes. An examination was administered pre-training, and then post-training, to evaluate relevant training, knowledge, risk perception, and comfort in response capabilities to chemical and radiation incidents.Results:Forty-two students attended the course; 39 were included in the study. Seventy-two percent (n=28) of participants had no prior disaster training. Overall, there were significant differences between the pre-test and post-test scores for all students [95% CI: 5.4 (4.7-6.1); p<0.0001, paired t-test]; maximum score 15/15. Comparing scores of nursing and PH students, despite statistical difference in pre-test scores (median, IQR: 9.0 (7.5-10±2.0); 7.0 (5.7-9.0) respectively; p=0.048, Mann Whitney U-test), there were no statistical differences in post-test scores (median, IQR: 14.0 (13.0-14.0); 13.0 (12.0-14.0), respectively, Mann Whitney U-test). All students recognized nerve agent toxidrome and performed SALT triage after the training (p <0.0001, McNemar test). Subjectively, participant comfort level in responding to a chemical or radiological incident improved (p <0.0001, McNemar test). Individual risk perception for chemical or radiological disasters did not improve after training.Discussion:Improvement of knowledge and comfort was demonstrated, irrespective of previous experience. Simulation-based training of chemical and radiation disaster preparedness, led by medical toxicologists, is an effective means of educating PH and nursing students, with minimal prior fluency.