cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optical photon reassignment super-resolved scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (Conference Presentation)

Conventional scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO) utilizes a finite collection pinhole at a retinal conjugate plane to strongly reject out-of-focus light while primarily transmitting the in-focus, retinal backscattered signal. However, to improve lateral resolution, a sub-Airy disk collection pinhole is necessary, which drastically reduces the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the system and is thus not commonly employed. Recently, an all-optical, super-resolution microscopy technique known as optical photon reassignment (OPRA) microscopy (also known as re-scan confocal microscopy) has been developed to bypass this fundamental tradeoff between resolution and SNR in confocal microscopy. We present a methodology and system design for obtaining super resolution in retinal imaging by combining the concepts of SLO and OPRA microscopy. The resolution improvement of the system was quantified using a 1951 USAF target at a telecentric intermediate image plane. Retinal images from human volunteers were acquired with this system both with and without using the OPRA technique to demonstrate the resolution improvement when imaging parafoveal cone photoreceptors. Finally, we quantified the resolution improvement in the retina by analyzing the radially averaged power spectrum of the retinal images.
Exposing intersectionalities: a reflection on mental health and incarceration in America

ABSTRACTThe traveling exhibition States of Incarceration: A National Dialogue of Local Histories explores the past, present, and future of mass incarceration in the United States through the lens of local narratives, events, and historic and/or contemporary sites. Over 500 students from 20 universities worked together to stimulate a national dialog focused on how mass incarceration has shaped the social definitions of citizenship, criminality, confinement, and economy. As each university investigated a local example of one of these themes and its effect on their nearby community, 16 graduate students from Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis (IUPUI), supported by Indiana Humanities and the IUPUI Arts and Humanities Institute, used a wide variety of research methods to study the history of confinement and mental illness in Indianapolis, Indiana. Through site visits, theoretical studies, interviews with people involved in the criminal justice and mental healthcare systems, archival research, a...
Analysis and prediction of heart rate using speech features from natural speech

Interactive voice technologies can leverage biosignals, such as heart rate (HR), to infer the psychophysiological state of the user. Voice-based detection of HR is attractive because it does not require additional sensors. We predict HR from speech using the SRI BioFrustration Corpus. In contrast to previous studies we use continuous spontaneous speech as input. Results using random forests show modest but significant effects on HR prediction. We further explore the effects on HR of speaking itself, and contrast the effects when interactions induce neutral versus frustrated responses from users. Results reveal that regardless of the user's emotional state, HR tends to increase while the user is engaged in speaking to a dialog system relative to a silent region right before speech, and that this effect is greater when the subject is expressing frustration. We also find that the user's HR does not recover to pre-speaking levels as quickly after frustrated speech as it does after neutral speech. Implications and future directions are discussed.
BA Application Promotes Offset Formation in Hosta Cultivars

Abstract A foliar spray of 0, 1250, 2500, or 3750 ppm BA was applied to 10 hosta cultivars. BA application promoted offset formation in 8 cultivars at 30 days after treatment (DAT) and in all cultivars at 60 DAT. At 30 DAT, no offsets had formed in controls (0 ppm BA) of ‘Halcyon’ or ‘Samuel Blue’, but plants receiving 3750 ppm BA averaged 3.1 and 5.5 offsets, respectively. In the remaining cultivars at 30 DAT, maximum increases in offsets compared to controls ranged from 0.9 offset for ‘Stiletto’ to 6.2 offsets for ‘Hyacinthina’. Untreated plants of ‘Halcyon’ formed no offsets by 60 DAT, whereas plants receiving 3750 ppm BA averaged 3.8 offsets. In the remaining cultivars at 60 DAT, maximum increases in offsets compared to controls ranged from 2.1 offsets for ‘Great Expectations’ to 7.6 offsets for ‘Stiletto’. Offset stage of development, based on number of unfurled leaves, was more advanced in treated plants than in controls of two cultivars, less than that of controls in two cultivars, and similar to c...
Planned Parenthood Federation of America in 2008

As with many national non-profits, Planned Parenthood is organized as 100 separate 501(c)3 organizations. What is the best structure for Planned Parenthood to fulfill its mission?
Constraining sterile neutrinos with a low energy beta‐beam

We show that a low energy beta-beam facility can be used to search for sterile neutrinos by measuring the disappearance of electron anti-neutrinos. This channel is particularly sensitive since it allows to use inverse beta decay as detection reaction; thus it is free from hadronic uncertainties, provided the neutrino energy is below the pion production threshold. This corresponds to a choice of the Lorentz γ ≃ 30 for the 6He parent ion. Moreover, a disappearance measurement allows the constraint of sterile neutrino properties independently of any CP violating effects. A moderate detector size of a few 100 tons and ion production rates of ∼2 · 1013 s−1 are sufficient to constrain mixing angles as small as sin2 2θ = 10−2 at 99% confidence level.
Validity of Birth Certificate and Hospital Discharge Data Reporting of Labor Induction.

Abstract Purpose To examine the concordance of labor induction measures derived from birth certificate and hospital discharge data with each other and with maternal report. Methods Birth certificate data were linked with hospital discharge data and structured interviews of 2,851 mothers conducted 1 month after first childbirth. Those who reported that a doctor or nurse tried to cause their labor to begin, and were not in labor before that event, were classified as undergoing labor induction. The mothers were aged 18 to 35 years at study entry and delivered at 78 hospitals (76 in Pennsylvania and 2 out of state) from 2009 to 2011. Results The labor induction rate was 34.3% measured by maternal report, 29.4% by birth certificate data, and 26.2% by hospital discharge data. More than one-third of the women who reported labor induction were not reported as having been induced in the birth certificate data (33.6%), with similar results for the hospital discharge data (36.5%). The rate of underreporting of labor induction in the birth certificate data was higher for inductions occurring before 39 weeks of gestation (43.9%) than for inductions at 39 weeks or later (29.9%; p Conclusions Both the birth certificate and hospital discharge data exhibit relatively poor agreement with maternal report of labor induction and seem to miss a substantial portion of labor inductions.
Contesting Global Culture: Globalization and Sexual Politics in Sub-Saharan Africa

Globalization influences the contestation of sexuality in Africa. Globalization has compressed the world, widened the levels of transcontinental interactions, broken up space and time in socio-political, cultural, and economic interactions, and increased domestic protectionist identity politics or glocalization, which is the domesticating of the global in localized social settings. In attempts to negotiate local and international socio-political, economic, and religious landscapes, Africans self-select global values to endorse or reject. In the contestation of homosexuality, the process of self-selecting is democratically challenged and disputed by pro-gay and anti-gay rights social movements. Against the accusation of imperialism, Christian transcontinental relations are not only enhanced by globalization but also influenced by the global outreach of Christianity.
The influences and neural correlates of past and present during gambling in humans.

During financial decision-making tasks, humans often make “rational” decisions, where they maximize expected reward. However, this rationality may compete with a bias that reflects past outcomes. That is, if one just lost money or won money, this may impact future decisions. It is unclear how past outcomes influence future decisions in humans, and how neural circuits encode present and past information. In this study, six human subjects performed a financial decision-making task while we recorded local field potentials from multiple brain structures. We constructed a model for each subject characterizing bets on each trial as a function of present and past information. The models suggest that some patients are more influenced by previous trial outcomes (i.e., previous return and risk) than others who stick to more fixed decision strategies. In addition, past return and present risk modulated with the activity in the cuneus; while present return and past risk modulated with the activity in the superior temporal gyrus and the angular gyrus, respectively. Our findings suggest that these structures play a role in decision-making beyond their classical functions by incorporating predictions and risks in humans’ decision strategy, and provide new insight into how humans link their internal biases to decisions.
Similarity retrieval of angiogram images BASED on a flexible shape model

In this paper we address the problem of finding similar coronary angiograms from a database of angiograms using a new constrained nonrigid shape model for the description of coronary arteries. The model captures the non-rigid variations in the artery shapes while still preserving the overall perceptual spatial layout based on the articulation constraints between arteries. Shape matching involves testing for class membership using the constraints specified in the model. The shape similarity method is demonstrated in a similarity retrieval application on a large database of angiogram images.
Ritual and racism: A Social-Historical Analysis of the Crack Sentencing Guidelines

Through the lens of ritual theory, this essay considers the pseudo-religious dimension of white supremacy in the U.S. judicial and penal systems by performing a case study analysis of the federal crack sentencing guidelines. In contrast to previous works on the war on drugs, this essay provides a more integratedunderstanding of the relationship between racism and capitalism within these systems. It achieves this by assessing the ritualistic roles people play in reenacting long-standing cultural practices that have historically been employed as a mechanism for the social and economic control of blacks. With this approach,the key issue in understanding racism becomes one of highlighting the repetition of historic patterns instead of attempting to discern the individual intentions of lawmakers. Finally, this approach also points to the complex ways in which people from different races and classes can be ironicallybound together in support of racist policies and class hierarchies.
Sleep and Obesity in Children and Adolescents

Publisher Summary The increased prevalence and severity of obesity in children has led to an increase in sleep disorders related to excess weight, such as the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and the hypoventilation syndrome. Although compelling literature both in the adult and pediatric population demonstrates a causative role of obesity on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), more recent studies have begun to suggest an inversed causative relationship between obesity and OSA such that OSA may play a potentiating role in weight gain. This chapter first reviews the epidemiological studies that have shown an association between short sleep and obesity in children and adolescents. It later examines the laboratory studies in adults that have analyzed the effect of sleep restriction on the neurohormonal control of appetite, and formulates hypotheses on the possible mechanisms linking short sleep and the risk of obesity. Finally, the chapter briefly reviews the pediatric sleep disorders that are related to obesity and proposes that one of the common sleep disorders, OSA, may contribute to the epidemic of obesity.
Drafting Transaction Documents: The Pieces of the Puzzle

This article provides a detailed explanation of provisions that should be included when drafting a standard contract.
A simple capillary viscometer based on the ideal gas law

We report a simple, inexpensive and user-friendly capillary viscometer based on the measurement of pressure drop in capillary tubing using the principle of ideal gas law. Viscosity is an important physical property of a fluid that provides molecular information of the fluid's behavior under flow conditions. Measuring viscosity, however, generally requires relatively large fluid volume samples and is expensive with commercial viscometers. Microfluidic viscometers at different levels of complexity can measure fluids at different flow rates with a small sample volume but the cost of commercially available microfluidic viscometers is still high. The reported capillary viscometer is cost-effective, uses small amounts of sample fluid and can measure viscosity under various shear rates. According to the Hagen–Poiseuille equation, the pressure drop of laminar flows in a capillary at a given flow rate is proportional to the viscosity of the fluid. When an enclosed air volume is connected to the upstream of the capillary, the pressure drop can be calculated with the change of the connected air volume, which is reflected by the displacement change of the air–liquid interface in the connecting capillary to the enclosed air volume. Based on these principles, the viscometer was assembled with readily accessible materials, and required no internal sensors or extensive programming. Measurements were successfully performed for five liquids including water, acetone, 2% fat milk, glycerin 30% and glycerin 40%. Except for acetone, the difference between measured and known viscosity was within 4% and highly consistent, well within the 13% uncertainty errors of readily accessible laboratory materials. Overall, the simple viscometer was easily assembled with low cost materials, was portable and accurate, and provided an alternative to expensive commercial viscometers. Finally, the simple capillary viscometer was a good outreach project for K-12 students to understand fluid behavior.
Inferring phenotypes from substance use via collaborative matrix completion.

Although substance use disorders (SUDs) are heritable, few genetic risk factors for them have been identified, in part due to the small sample sizes of study populations. To address this limitation, researchers have aggregated subjects from multiple existing genetic studies, but these subjects can have missing phenotypic information, including diagnostic criteria for certain substances that were not originally a focus of study. Recent advances in addiction neurobiology have shown that comorbid SUDs (e.g., the abuse of multiple substances) have similar genetic determinants, which makes it possible to infer missing SUD diagnostic criteria using criteria from another SUD and patient genotypes through statistical modeling. We propose a new approach based on matrix completion techniques to integrate features of comorbid health conditions and individual’s genotypes to infer unreported diagnostic criteria for a disorder. This approach optimizes a bi-linear model that uses the interactions between known disease correlations and candidate genes to impute missing criteria. An efficient stochastic and parallel algorithm was developed to optimize the model with a speed 20 times greater than the classic sequential algorithm. It was tested on 3441 subjects who had both cocaine and opioid use disorders and successfully inferred missing diagnostic criteria with consistently better accuracy than other recent statistical methods. The proposed matrix completion imputation method is a promising tool to impute unreported or unobserved symptoms or criteria for disease diagnosis. Integrating data at multiple scales or from heterogeneous sources may help improve the accuracy of phenotype imputation.
Safety and Tolerability of Vacuum Versus Manual Drainage During Thoracentesis: A Randomized Trial.

Background:Pleural effusions may be aspirated manually or via vacuum during thoracentesis. This study compares the safety, pain level, and time involved in these techniques.Methods:We randomized 100 patients receiving ultrasound-guided unilateral thoracentesis in an academic medical center from Dece
Diarrhea and AIDS

HIV and AIDS affect over 30 million people worldwide, and diarrhea affects 28–60% of HIV-positive patients. Patients who have low CD4 counts (less than 350) are highly susceptible to a range of opportunistic infections. Approximately 50% of patients present with an infectious etiology. HIV/AIDS patients are susceptible to bacterial and parasitic causes of diarrhea – cryptosporidiosis being one of the most difficult to treat. Patients should be counseled that ensuring compliance with their protease inhibitors is key in treating their diarrhea.
Mechanisms of octanoic acid potentiation of insulin secretion in isolated islets.

A potentiating effect of medium-chain triglycerides on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) has been observed since the 1960s. Subsequent observations identified octanoic acid (OA), the main component of medium-chain triglyceride, as the potentiator of GSIS, but the mechanism was unclear. We used wild-type (WT), short-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase knockout (Hadh-/-), and sulfonylurea receptor 1 knockout (Sur1-/-) mouse islets to define the mechanism of OA potentiation of insulin secretion. Application of OA alone induced a 2- to 3- fold increase of insulin secretion with an apparent threshold of 3 mM in WT mouse islets, suggesting that OA itself is a weak insulin secretagogue. However, OA at 1 mM strongly potentiated fuel-stimulated insulin secretion, especially GSIS. The potentiating effect on fuel-stimulated insulin secretion by OA did not require fatty acid β-oxidation because OA also potentiated amino acid-stimulated insulin secretion in islets isolated from Hadh-/- mice, which cannot fully oxidize OA. Measurements using Sur1-/- islets indicated that the potentiating effect of OA on fuel-stimulated insulin secretion is Ca2+ dependent and is often accompanied by β-cell membrane potential depolarization, and may also involve the Ca2+/calmodulin complex. Experiments using DCPIB, an ethacrynic acid derivative, to inhibit volume-sensitive anion channels (VSACs) in Sur1-/- islets demonstrated that the potentiation effects of OA on insulin secretion are in part medicated by activation of VSAC. In addition, inhibition of IP3 receptor also abolishes the OA-induced intracellular Ca2+ increase in Sur1-/- islets.
Adaptive Restoration Reveals Potential Effect of Tidal Elevation on Oyster Restoration Outcomes

Oyster restoration practitioners augment habitat with hard substrata to increase oyster recruitment, but success can be complicated by non-indigenous species recruitment and physical processes such as sedimentation. From June 2012 to June 2014, we examined changes in shell cover and recruitment of native Ostrea lurida and non-indigenous, global invader Crassostrea gigas onto a constructed oyster bed in Alamitos Bay, CA, USA relative to an un-augmented control mudflat. Due to 72% shell loss after 1 year and informed by a concurrent study on elevational distributions of both oyster species, we augmented the oyster bed with additional shell on the lower-elevation, seaward side. One year later, O. lurida densities were significantly greater on the lower-elevation bed relative to the control and 19.4 times greater than reference populations throughout Alamitos Bay. Crassostrea gigas recruited in densities equivalent to reference populations. Adaptively restoring the bed via shell additions at a lower elevation achieved higher shell retention, increased O. lurida densities, and increased the ratio of native versus non-indigenous oysters. Our increased understanding about the role of tidal elevation in targeted restoration success of a native relative to a non-indigenous oyster species will inform future restoration designs.
Ethanol production in switchgrass hydrolysate by ionic liquid-tolerant yeasts

Abstract Lignocellulose pretreatment with ionic liquids (IL) enables release of fermentable sugars at yields suitable for biofuel production. However, despite extensive washing, residual IL such as 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([C2C1Im][OAc]) is harmful to microbes and enzymes involved in downstream processes. Ionic liquid-pretreated switchgrass hydrolysate contains from 0.2 to 4% (w/v) residual [C2C1Im][OAc] depending on the extent of water washing. A total of 25 yeast strains including four commercial ethanologenic Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains were tested to grow and ferment sugars in stepwise screening tests, and ethanol production was measured by GC-FID. Four yeast strains produced >10 g/L ethanol in laboratory media containing [C2C1Im][OAc]. The highest ethanol yield of 70% of theoretical yield was achieved by Wickerhamomyces anomalus UCDFST 72-248 when grown in hydrolysate with 3.2% residual IL. The robust growth and ethanol production by this wild (non-GMO) yeast, together with general stress tolerance of the species, suggests further exploration for biotechnology applications.
The Gaussian Semiclassical Soliton Ensemble and Numerical Methods for the Focusing Nonlinear Schrodinger Equation

Abstract We report on a number of careful numerical experiments motivated by the semiclassical (zero-dispersion, ϵ ↓ 0 ) limit of the focusing nonlinear Schrodinger equation. Our experiments are designed to study the evolution of a particular family of perturbations of the initial data. These asymptotically small perturbations are precisely those that result from modifying the initial-data by using formal approximations to the spectrum of the associated spectral problem; such modified data has always been a standard part of the analysis of zero-dispersion limits of integrable systems. However, in the context of the focusing nonlinear Schrodinger equation, the ellipticity of the Whitham equations casts some doubt on the validity of this procedure. To carry out our experiments, we introduce an implicit finite difference scheme for the partial differential equation, and we validate both the proposed scheme and the standard split-step scheme against a numerical implementation of the inverse scattering transform for a special case in which the scattering data is known exactly. As part of this validation, we also investigate the use of the Krasny filter which is sometimes suggested as appropriate for nearly ill-posed problems such as we consider here. Our experiments show that that the O ( ϵ ) rate of convergence of the modified data to the true data is propagated to positive times including times after wave breaking.
Phase 1 trial of a 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in healthy adults.

Abstract Introduction Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading cause of bacteremia, bacterial pneumonia, and meningitis, and is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality, particularly in those under 2 years of age and those over 65 years of age. While significant progress against S. pneumoniae-related disease has been made as a result of the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV7, PCV10 and PCV13), there remains value in further expanding pneumococcal vaccine serotype coverage. Here we present the first report of a 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV20) containing capsular polysaccharide conjugates present in PCV13 as well as 7 new serotypes (8, 10A, 11A, 12F, 15B, 22F, and 33F) which are important contributors to pneumococcal disease. Methods This Phase I first-in-human study was a randomized, controlled, observer-blinded study with a two-arm parallel design to assess the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of PCV20 in adults. A total of 66 healthy adults 18–49 years of age with no history of pneumococcal vaccination were enrolled and randomized to receive a single dose of PCV20 or a licensed tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis combination vaccine (Tdap) control. Local injection site reactions, select systemic symptoms, laboratory studies, and adverse events were assessed. Opsonophagocytic activity (OPA) titers and IgG concentrations were measured in sera collected prior to, and approximately one month (28–35 days) after vaccination. Results Vaccination with PCV20 elicited substantial IgG and functional bactericidal immune responses as demonstrated by increases in IgG geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) and OPA geometric mean titers (GMTs) to the 20 vaccine serotypes. The overall safety profile of PCV20 was similar to Tdap, and generally consistent with that observed after PCV13 administration. Conclusions Vaccination with PCV20 was well tolerated and induced substantial functional (OPA) and IgG responses to all vaccine serotypes. There were no safety issues identified in this Phase 1 study, and the data supported further evaluation of PCV20.
Feed restriction in mid-lactation dairy cows. I: Effects on milk production and energy metabolism-related blood metabolites

Abstract The aim of the study was to describe the metabolic responses on energy metabolism to a period of negative nutrient balance induced by feed restriction (FR). Seven multiparous Holstein cows (93 ± 15 days in milk) were randomly assigned to 7 treatments in a 7 × 4 Youden square design. Daily intake was restricted to provide 60% of energy requirements during 5 d except for one treatment with ad libitum (AL) feeding. While 5 out of 7 experimental treatments involved abomasal supplementation of amino acids or glucose, in this article we evaluated only the effects of a negative nutrient balance by comparing both control treatments (AL and FR). Data of 2 cows within the AL group were removed due to sickness and therefore it had n = 2. Milk and energy corrected milk yield were reduced by FR. Yields of milk protein and lactose were lower during FR than during AL but the yield of milk fat only had a tendency (P > 0.06) to be lower with FR. Milk protein concentration was lower with FR than with AL but concentration of milk lactose and fat were not different between diets. The FR induced a decrease in plasma insulin and glucose concentrations, with quadratic decreasing trends both reaching nadirs on d 3. Simultaneously, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) concentration was greater and increased quadratically, peaking at d 3 during FR. There were no differences in daily β-hydroxybutyrate concentration, but it increased linearly until d 4 with FR. Comparison of the variation in concentration after feeding of insulin, NEFA and glucose could indicate a likely increased insulin sensitivity for peripheral NEFA uptake and a resistance for glucose uptake. This mechanism would contribute to decrease NEFA in circulation and sparing of glucose for lactose synthesis, respectively. Metabolic adaptations to a short-term reduction in dry matter intake include lipid mobilization, as well as modulation of peripheral tissue endocrine sensitivity in order to maintain yield of milk components production but prioritizing milk fat and lactose over milk protein. Implications The short-term feed restriction model described in this article can serve as an alternative to study metabolic adaptations during the transition period. The response of energy metabolism observed sets the baseline to measure the effect of nutrients supplementation and identify those candidates that will improve milk production and overall health after calving.
Introduction: Women in Medicine.

* Abbreviations: AAFP — : American Academy of Family Physicians AAP — : American Academy of Pediatrics ACOG — : American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists ACP — : American College of Physicians AHA — : American Hospital Association APA — : American Psychiatric Association BIPOC — : Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color COVID-19 — : coronavirus disease 2019 WEL — : Women’s Wellness through Equity and Leadership project The percentage of women physicians in the United States is increasing, as women currently make up 35% of the active physician workforce but nearly half of all US medical school graduates.1 Although progress has been made in increasing the number of women in medicine, equity issues remain, as women physicians report having less control over day-to-day aspects of their work, are often compensated at a lower rate, experience more challenges in the balance between work and home life, and are more likely to report burnout than their male counterparts.2,3 Furthermore, women physicians with multiple identities that have been historically marginalized and excluded, including those who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color (BIPOC), experience additional disparities in terms of pay and discrimination.4–7 Rooted in organizational and societal culture, these disparities cause stress and burnout among women. Working to create gender equity in health care can help ameliorate this additional stress and burnout, resulting in increased wellness among women physicians. Furthermore, as the next generation of health care leaders, there is also a need to empower women with skills in leadership and equity. Developing and promoting these skills can help accelerate changes in a medical culture that currently disadvantages women. In 2018, the American Academy … Address correspondence to Erin Hayes Kelly, PhD, American Academy of Pediatrics, 345 Park Boulevard, Itasca, IL, 60143. E-mail: ekelly{at}aap.org. 630-626-6075.
Moral Reasoning in Psychology

Developmental research has focused on reasoning about right and wrong in social relationships. Piaget and Kohlberg each proposed sequences in which children first develop moral judgments that are confused with nonmoral features, such as adherence to social conventions, and then judgments differentiating them from each other. However, subsequent research shows that young children form concepts in the moral domain with understandings of welfare and fairness, differing from judgments about social conventions. Moral decisions entail coordination of different concerns – moral and nonmoral – in situational contexts. Individuals critically apply moral judgments to cultural practices entailing social inequalities.
Extracting Opinion Propositions and Opinion Holders using Syntactic and Lexical Cues

A new task is identified in the ongoing analysis of opinions: finding propositional opinions, sentential complement clauses of verbs such as “believe” or “claim” that express opinions, and the holders of these opinions. An extension of semantic parsing techniques is proposed that, coupled with additional lexical and syntactic features, can extract these propositional opinions and their opinion holders. A small corpus of 5,139 sentences is annotated with propositional opinion information, and is used for training and evaluation. While our results are still quite preliminary (precisions of 43–51% and recalls of 58–68%), we feel that our focus on opinion clauses, and in general the use of rich syntactic features, helps point to an important new direction in opinion detection.
Chapter 9 Renewable feedstocks

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the key elements of a rational technical approach embodied in the bio refinery vision that will allow making better use of the biomass resources that are currently available around the globe, with the hope that it will create sustainability for future generations. An important part of such technology development is the determination through a detailed life-cycle analysis of the energy and carbon (material) balance, as well as the total environmental impact for each new conversion technology or process. The resulting data serves as the basis for building so-called integrated bio refineries, wherein biomass is converted into energy and chemicals using a number of efficient pathways. However, it should be kept in mind that the vision for bio refineries that is presented in the chapter originates from the perspective of an industrialized society and may not immediately apply to developing countries that have many more challenges to overcome.
Curriculum-Based Measurement for Reading Progress

This article contains a set of detailed steps that will assist middle and high school special education teachers in the construction and implementation of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) to trac...
Development of Radiation Countermeasures

Medical countermeasures are required to address the emerging radiological and nuclear threats. Radiation injury can result from exposure to external, penetrating radiation or internalized radionuclides. Countermeasures for internal contamination focus on decorporation and protecting the primary site of activity. No countermeasures are currently approved for the acute radiation syndrome that results from external exposures, but significant efforts are ongoing to develop new agents to counter the cascade of damage from ionizing radiation. Antioxidants and enzyme mimics are directed toward prevention of free radical damage to macromolecules. Other agents target the affected cell-signaling pathways: preventing apoptosis, triggering cell cycle arrest, or modulating the inflammatory response. To counter the loss of progenitor cells, particularly in the bone marrow and the gut, drugs such as the cytokines and other immunomodulators are developed to promote proliferation of new cells. If radiation injury proceeds to organ failure and infection, supportive care and antibiotics provide significant therapeutic value. In addition to the radiation dose, several factors impact the severity of the injury. Among these are radiation quality (e.g. neutron–gamma mixed fields) and dose rate, combined injuries, and partial-body exposures. In future efforts, it will be important to consider these factors, which can modulate the radiation response and possibly affect the efficacy of the treatments. Although an ideal countermeasure that is inexpensive, stable with a long shelf-life, easily administered, nontoxic, and efficacious is yet to be attained, new options continue to arise. Many promising drugs are in the pipeline. Keywords: radiation countermeasures; acute radiation syndrome; internal contamination; decorporation
Definitions and Theoretical Models for Understanding Ageism and Abuse in the Workplace

Gerontologists in both practice and policy focus on the latest research to determine the most effective treatment for clients, as well as the most effective ways to target social problems. Recently, the economic crisis in the US has led to an increase in media coverage of older workers who are being laid off, forced to retire, or are working longer than planned. Embedded in these reports are the undertones of ageism and emotional abuse in the workplace. For example, individuals 60 and older are finding it hard to get a job simply because of their age, and conversely are finding it harder to retain their jobs due to forced retirement. Gerontologists need to start embracing ageism and abuse in the workplace as possible co-occurring issues rather than two issues existing in individual silos in order to effectively implement practices and policies that will address both issues.
Effects of nitrogen rate, irrigation rate, and plant population on corn yield and water use efficiency

Improper N and irrigation management are major factors contributing to water quality and shortage problems in the Great Plains. This study was conducted on the Irrigation Research Farm in Yuma, CO, from 1998 through 2000 to establish an accurate irrigation and N management system for corn (Zea mays L.) production in the Great Plains aimed at high yield and water use efficiency (WUE) simultaneously. A field experiment was conducted on a center-pivot-irrigated, well-drained Haxtun sandy loam soil (fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Pachic Argiustolls) by using a randomized complete block split-split plot design, with irrigation rates [0.60, 0.80, and 1.00 of the estimated evapotranspiration (ET)], N fertility rates (30, 140, 250, and 360 kg ha -1 , including N from soil, fertilizer, and irrigation water), and plant populations (57 000, 69 000, and 81000 plants ha -1 ) as the main-plot, split-plot, and split-split plot treatments, respectively. A combination of 0.80ET to 1.00ET, 140 to 250 kg N ha -1 , and 57 000 to 69 000 plants ha -1 population provided optimum corn yield. Irrigation treatment 0.80ET, accompanied by 140 to 250 kg N ha -1 , and 57 000 to 69 000 plants ha -1 population was the best management system for optimum WUE. No significant differences in water extraction from the soil profile for the entire season and soil moisture content at harvest between the 0.80ET and 1.OOET irrigation treatments were additional indications that 0.80ET is superior to 1.OOET. To preserve the Ogallala Aquifer, the best management system aimed at optimum WUE should be used for corn production in the Great Plains region.
Business Advertising Appeals as a Mirror of Cultural Dimensions: A Study of Eleven Countries

Abstract Across cultures, do systematic differences in advertising content mirror predictable differences in the cultures themselves? The authors designed a study to shed light on that question, using Hofstede's cultural model as a tool for analyzing cultures and using advertising appeals identified by Pollay. After coding advertisements in business publications from 11 countries for the appeals employed, they computed correlation coefficients relating the proportional use of each appeal and Hofstede's cultural dimensions: individualism, uncertainty avoidance, power distance, and masculinity. The culture-reflecting quality of advertising was supported for 10 of 30 hypothesized relationships, and for an additional eight after removal of outliers from the data.
Aurora Road Network Modeler

Abstract Aurora object-oriented framework is a set of generic Java classes and interfaces used as base objects in applications that model flow networks. A network consists of directed links, nodes and monitors. Nodes can be complex, being networks themselves. Controllers on nodes control flows coming from the input links. Monitors are special objects whose purpose is to monitor the state of given links and feed the observed data to controllers or generate events. Events change network configuration or inputs and are triggered at specified times. They can be user-defined, or generated by monitors based on the data observed. Aurora Road Network Modeler (RNM) is a tool set for operational planning and management of travel corridors (freeways and surrounding arterials), which is based on Aurora object-oriented framework. Currently, it consists of three graphical applications with intuitive user interface: Simulator runs macroscopic traffic simulations, allowing the user to create simulation scenarios by means of events; Configurator is used to build road network configurations from scratch or edit the existing ones; and GIS Importer extracts road information from the GIS .shp and .dbf files and saves it in the XML format of Aurora configuration file. Aurora RNM is open source and can be freely downloaded from the internet.
Antibacterial properties of cotton fabric treated with silver nanoparticles

In recent years nano‐sized particles have been focused on bacteriostasis. We investigated antimicrobial activities by applying two types of silver nanoparticles on cotton fabric. These are MesoSilver particles and silver chloride compounds (Silpure). Silver chloride, used in aqueous dispersion, is mixed with a monomer prior to the application on the fabric. MesoSilver is pure silver sub‐nanometer sized particles suspended in deionized water. Silpure solutions were padded and cured on cotton fabric. MesoSilver was padded onto the fabric followed by air drying. SEM images of Silpure‐ and MesoSilver‐treated fabric samples showed good particle dispersion on the fabric. EDX analysis was conducted to confirm the presence of silver particles on the fabric surface. Biological studies exhibited that no growth took place with zones of inhibition on both the treated samples; while the untreated samples did show bacterial growth. The Silpure sample exhibited excellent wash durability; however, the MesoSilver specimen...
The Obstinance of Evil

A solution to the problem of evil has recently been proposed by Alvin Plantinga, in chapter IX, sections 4-8, of his book The Nature of Necessity.' Plantinga's solution is an example of a 'free will defence', in virtue of the role played by the notion of 'human freedom'. Plantinga characterizes the free will defence (p. I65) as the attempt to show that 'God is omnipotent, omniscient, and wholly good' is not inconsistent with 'There is evil in the world'. His strategy is to present a self-consistent proposition whose conjunction with the former statement entails the latter. We shall examine two features of this proffered free will defence.
Apo E-mediated uptake and degradation of normal very low density lipoproteins by human monocyte/macrophages: a saturable pathway distinct from the LDL receptor.

Normal human fasting very low density lipoproteins (n-VLDL; d<1.006 g/ml) were demonstrated to be taken up and degraded by human monocyte-macrophages via a saturable process distinct from the previously described LDL and scavenger receptors. Through the use of apolipoprotein-phospholipid complexes, apolipoprotein E (apoE) was identified as the ligand mediating recognition of n-VLDL by this receptor.
20 Mb/s Zero-power graphene-on-glass microwave envelope detectors for ubiquitous ultra-low-power wireless network

We report the first experimental results of single graphene-on-glass FET-based envelope detectors operating at digital communication data rate of 20 Mb/s with RF carrier frequency above 5 GHz. The new ambipolar GFET envelope detectors operated with zero power consumption, which is potentially ideal for ultra-low-power wireless networks. GFET ambipolar envelope detectors offer excellent 40 dB linear dynamic range over the incoming RF power with sensitivity down to -60 dBm. For the first time, we demonstrated that the ambipolar nature of graphene FETs offer performance advantages over state-of-the-art CMOS FET-based envelope detector ICs for ultra-low-power wireless communications. With graphene's transferability to any substrate, further development of GFETs could potentially deliver higher data rates to ubiquitous ULP communication platforms.
Atmospheric chemistry of 2-pentanone and 2-heptanone

2-Pentanone and 2-heptanone are available for commercial use, which will lead to their possible release into the atmosphere where they are expected to primarily react with the hydroxyl (OH) radical...
Labyrinths of desire: Lady Mary Wroth's reconstruction of romance

(1991). Labyrinths of desire: Lady Mary Wroth's reconstruction of romance. Women's Studies: Vol. 19, Women in the Renaissance: An Interdisciplinary Forum (MLA 1989), pp. 183-192.
Micro-scale concentrated photovoltaics: A technologically disruptive approach to flat-panel solar cells?

The potential benefits of solar cell architectures that exploit integrated micro-optical concentration are examined. An associated new development thrust at the US Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) is reviewed.
Effects of a school-based theory-driven HIV and pregnancy prevention curriculum.

Although a number of interventions are effective at reducing risky adolescent sexual behavior it may be possible to make them even more effective by addressing adolescents approaches to risk-taking. Schools were assigned to teach one of three curricula in a quasi-experimental intervention study: the schools standard pregnancy and HIV prevention curriculum; the Reducing the Risk curriculum; or a modified Reducing the Risk curriculum adapted for high sensation seekers and impulsive decision makers. A sample of 1944 students from 17 schools was surveyed at three time points between 1995 and 1997. Mixed models regression and logistic regression were used to examine the difference in impact among curricula. Differences in the impact of the original and modified Reducing the Risk interventions were not significant for the total sample or for high sensation seekers and impulsive decision makers separately. Students from both intervention groups demonstrated short-term improvements in knowledge; students who received their schools standard curriculum were significantly more likely than those assigned to either intervention to have initiated sexual intercourse by the third time point (odds ratio 2.4). More work is necessary to understand the best ways to design classroom messages that will be effective in reducing the risk behaviors of high sensation seekers and impulsive decision makers. (authors)
Verification studies of entrained-flow gasification and combustion systems with the simmer-II code☆

A series of code verification studies on entrained-flow phenomena is described. Calculations of turbulent gas/particle flow in free jets and confined reactor geometries are compared to relevant experimental data and analytic solutions to assess model accuracy and to identify numerical limitations.
A method to quantify changes in supply of metabolizable methionine to dairy cows using concentrations of selenium in milk.

Abstract A method that accurately quantifies changes in the supply of metabolizable Met following a dietary change will allow accurate economic comparisons of various Met sources. This paper describes a novel method of estimating the relative supply of metabolizable Met based on changes in the concentration of Se in milk. Selenized yeast (Se-yeast) contains selenomethionine (Se-met) and because Se-met and Met are indistinguishable by cells, Se-met can be used as a tracer of Met. We hypothesized that if the size of the Met pool was increased but intake of Se-met was constant, the concentration of Se in milk relative to milk Met would decrease. To test this hypothesis, 6 Holstein cows were fed a diet that contained 0.3mg of Se from Se-yeast/kg of diet DM and then in a 2-period crossover experiment, were abomasally infused with water (control) or an aqueous solution that provided 9g of Met/d. Milk was sampled during the infusion and the specific activity (SA) of milk (Se concentration divided by Met concentration) was calculated for each treatment. The SA in milk from Met-infused cows was divided by SA in milk from control cows to calculate the change in supply of metabolizable Met. As hypothesized, infusing Met reduced the SA of milk (84.7 vs. 72.5μg of Se/mg of Met). The calculated flow of metabolizable Met was 17% greater when cows were infused with 9g of Met/d compared with cows infused with water (essentially the same difference was measured using SA calculated with N concentrations of milk). Assuming the infused Met was 100% absorbed, the flow of metabolizable Met for control cows was 9/0.17=53g of Met/d, which agreed well with literature data and estimates derived from common nutritional models.