cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
NPI Licensing in Temporal Clauses

This paper offers a systematic semantically-based approach to NPI licensing in temporal clauses based on Beaver and Condoravdi (2003, in progress). It motivates the presuppositional nature of temporal clauses and shows how temporal ordering induces an ordering of semantic strength in each case. The proposed analysis is uniform across veridical and non-veridical readings of before and brings under the semantic fold seemingly exceptional or pragmatically-based cases of NPI licensing observed with after, since and until. Crucial throughout is the more restricted, presupposition-dependent notion of entailment, Strawson entailment, proposed by von Fintel (1999). The paper also relates Strawson entailment to the alternative-based analysis of NPIs by Krifka (1995), proposing a particular kind of contextual update, Strawson update, for calculating informational strength.
A resource‐based approach to the multibusiness firm: Empirical analysis of portfolio interrelationships and corporate financial performance

The resource-based view of the firm has provided important new insights into corporate strategy (Barney, 1991; Peteraf, 1993); however, there has been only limited empirical research linked to the theory (e.g., Farjoun, 1994). Although a great deal of work has been done on Corporate diversification, the measures and data typically have a weak connection to resource-based theory. Empirical research on resource-based corporate strategy has been particularly dificult because key concepts such as tacit knowledge or capabilities resist direct measurement. This study is an effort to narrow the gap between theory and empirical research on the multibusiness firm. It develops a resource-based approach to modeling interrelationships among businesses and applies it to the analysis of corporate economic performance. This approach proves to be significant in explaining the financial performance of large manufacturing firms, and it promises to be an important source of insight into corporate strategy.
Search for ion-cyclotron resonance in an Na(+)-transport system

Colonic tissue from the turtle (Pseudemys scripta) was exposed in a Ussing chamber to simultaneously applied static and time-varying magnetic fields. Transepithelial differences of potential were monitored as frequency of the AC field was varied continuously or in discrete steps from 3 to 770 Hz. Density of the DC field was varied from 10 to 220 microT and that of the AC field from 1 to 20 microT. Short-circuit currents through tissue were monitored for changes that might have been observed under ion-cyclotron resonance (ICR) conditions for each of several ions: H+, Li+, Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Cl-. No discernible changes of transepithelial current were observed. The negative findings are discussed in relation to positive and negative findings that have appeared in the literature.
THE ELIMINATION OF LAMINATION IN CLAY BARS1

The cause of lamination and methods of reducing or eliminating it are discussed. Lamination in stiff-mud clay bars may be caused by either auger or die, or both, or may be due to physical properties of the clay. Each clay is an individual problem. Trouble may be partially or wholly eliminated by varying auger distance, changing type of barrel, taper of die, length of die, changing speed of column, proper lubrication, and other means.
Sports League Expansion and Consumer Welfare

This article studies sports league expansion and consumer welfare. The author assumes that as a sports league expands, the average quality of playing talent falls, and each fan sees superstars fewer times per season. Expansion thus imposes a negative externality on existing fans. If all revenues come from local sources, such as gate receipts and local media, then the optimal league size (which maximizes total fan utility net of team opportunity costs) is the same as the monopoly league size that maximizes total league profits, but the competitive (free entry) league size is too large. If all revenues are national, split evenly, and where a broadcast network charges a uniform national price to viewers, the optimal league size is between the larger competitive size and the smaller monopoly league size. The more elastic the supply of talent is, the closer the competitive size is to the optimum.
Persistent Hyaloid Artery

As with Bergmeister’s papilla, failure of total reabsorption of the intravitreal portion of the hyaloid system produces a persistent hyaloid artery. In children, as in adults, the vessel does not usually contain blood, and so the risk of hemorrhage is practically nonexistent. Persistence of the hyaloid artery is seen commonly in premature infants and should be kept in mind when performing surgery for stage 5 retinopathy of prematurity. The attachment of the artery to the posterior aspect of the lens is called a Mittendorf dot. Embryologically, the artery enters the posterior lens at this point. Upon atrophy of the artery, the capsule closes, and the arterial system recedes.
Hospitalization of rural and urban infants during the first year of life.

OBJECTIVES: To examine hospitalizations and length of stay (LOS) for infants aged METHODS: Birth certificates for infants born in California hospitals between 1993 and 2005 and surviving to discharge were linked to hospital discharge records and death certificates during the first year of life, resulting in a study population of >6.4 million. Hospitalizations, cumulative LOS, readmission rates, and mortality were compared by using univariate and multivariable analysis for infants living in small rural, large rural, small urban, and large urban counties. Odds of hospitalization and cumulative LOS were also examined for common infant diagnoses. RESULTS: Infants living in increasingly rural counties experienced decreasing rates of hospitalization and decreasing number of hospitalized days during the first year of life. Infants living in small rural counties experienced 370 hospital days per 1000 infants compared with 474 hospital days per 1000 infants living in large urban counties. In multivariable analysis, infants in large urban counties experienced increased odds of hospitalization (odds ratio: 1.20 [95% confidence interval: 1.06–1.36]) and increased hospitalized days (incidence risk ratio: 1.17 [95% confidence interval: 1.06–1.29]) compared with infants in small rural counties. For most common diagnoses, urban residence was associated with either increased odds of hospitalization or increased cumulative LOS. CONCLUSIONS: Infants living in rural California counties experienced decreased hospital utilization, including decreased hospitalization and decreased LOS, compared with infants living in urban counties.
JAM: java agents for meta-learning over distributed databases

In this paper, we describe the JAM system, a distributed, scalable and portable agent-based data mining system that employs a general approach to scaling data mining applications that we call meta-learning. JAM provides a set of learning programs, implemented either as JAVA applets or applications, that compute models over data stored locally at a site. JAM also provides a set of meta-learning agents for combining multiple models that were learned (perhaps) at different sites. It employs a special distribution mechanism which allows the migration of the derived models or classifier agents to other remote sites. We describe the overall architecture of the JAM system and the specific implementation currently under development at Columbia University. One of JAM's target applications is fraud and intrusion detection in financial information systems. A brief description of this learning task and JAM's applicability are also described. Interested users may download JAM from http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~sal/JAM/PROJECT.
Optimal Pricing and Production Planning for Subscription‐Based Products

In this paper, we address the problem of a magazine publishing firm facing stochastic demand over multiple periods. We model the dynamics of customer subscription and retention/attrition. We identify the key decision variables to enhance magazine profitability: production quantity, subscription price, and newsstand price. First, we provide a dynamic programming formulation of the firm's problem and then propose a single-stage reduction that admits a classical newsvendor characterization. For both the finite and infinite horizon cases, we characterize the optimal policy of the firm where the decision variables are one, two, or all three of the aforementioned variables. Next, we consider the duopolistic setting, where firms benefit from the overflow of the competitor's unmet demand, and we provide analytic solutions in the case of uniform demand distributions. Finally, we report on computational experiments in both monopolistic and duopolistic settings and provide managerial insights.
‘We don’t have no neighbourhood’: Advanced marginality and urban agriculture in Detroit

This paper is based on qualitative interviews (n=20) conducted with individuals working or residing within a heavily depopulated section of the city of Detroit. This area is the projected site of an urban agriculture (UA) project, which proposes to utilise vacant land and economically marginalised residents to produce marketable products and services. With a few exceptions, neighbourhood respondents had little hope of improvement occurring in the neighbourhood anytime soon, and few expectations for UA to alter the daily life or social dynamic of the area. These findings are framed and interpreted using Wacquant�s (1999) concept of advanced marginality and Sampson�s (2012) arguments concerning neighbourhood effects. While some neighbourhood improvement efforts were viewed positively, others were regarded with intense suspicion, indicating that idealistic UA efforts may have some work to do in terms of engaging residents and offsetting legacies of displacement as well as on-going marginalisation.
Nanometer-scale surface modification of Ti6Al4V alloy for orthopedic applications.

This communication presents a novel technology to enhance the biocompatibility of bioinert Ti6Al4V alloy as implant materials for orthopaedic application. The surface of Ti6Al4V alloy was electrochemically activated in NaOH solution to create a porous structure with nanometer topographic features and an alkaline environment, thus promoting the formation of bone-like hydroxyapatite coating and enhancing the bonding strength of the coating. This innovative activation process was proved to be effective and essential. The activated surface was confirmed to be pure TiO2 and the formed coating was characterized of pure hydroxyapatite with a nanometer-scaled grain size structure by means of XPS, FESEM/SEM/EDX, XRD, and TEM techniques. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2008
Estimating errors in cloud amount and cloud optical thickness due to limited spatial sampling using a satellite imager as a proxy for nadir‐view sensors

Cloud climatologies from space-based active sensors have been used in climate and other studies without their uncertainties specified. This study quantifies the errors in monthly mean cloud amount and optical thickness due to the limited spatial sampling of space-based active sensors. Nadir view observations from a satellite imager, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), serve as a proxy for those active sensors and observations within 10° of the sensor's nadir view serve as truth for data from 2003 to 2013 in the Arctic. June-July monthly mean cloud amount and liquid water and ice cloud optical thickness from MODIS for both observations are calculated and compared. Results show errors increase with decreasing sample numbers for monthly means in cloud amount and cloud optical thickness. The Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of monthly mean cloud amount from nadir view observations increases with lower latitudes, with 0.7% (1.4%) at 80° North and 4.2% (11.2%) at 60° North using data from 2012 (from 2003 to 2013). For a 100 km resolution Equal-Area Scalable Earth Grid (EASE-Grid) cell of 1000 sample numbers, the absolute differences in these two monthly mean cloud amounts are less than 6.5% (9.0%, 11.5%) with an 80 (90, 95) percent chance; such differences decrease to 4.0% (5.0%, 6.5%) with 5000 sample numbers. For a 100 km resolution EASE-Grid of 1000 sample numbers, the absolute differences in these two monthly mean cloud optical thicknesses are less than 2.7 (3.8) with a 90% chance for liquid water cloud (ice cloud); such differences decrease to 1.3 (1.0) for 5000 sample numbers. The uncertainties in monthly mean cloud amount and optical thickness estimated in this study may provide useful information for applying cloud climatologies from active sensors in climate studies, and also suggest the need for future space-born active sensors with a wide swath.
Enhancing the lateral-flow immunoassay for viral detection using an aqueous two-phase micellar system

Availability of a rapid, accurate, and reliable point-of-care (POC) device for detection of infectious agents and pandemic pathogens, such as swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus, is crucial for effective patient management and outbreak prevention. Due to its ease of use, rapid processing, and minimal power and laboratory equipment requirements, the lateral-flow (immuno)assay (LFA) has gained much attention in recent years as a possible solution. However, since the sensitivity of LFA has been shown to be inferior to that of the gold standards of pathogen detection, namely cell culture and real-time PCR, LFA remains an ineffective POC assay for preventing pandemic outbreaks. A practical solution for increasing the sensitivity of LFA is to concentrate the target agent in a solution prior to the detection step. In this study, an aqueous two-phase micellar system comprised of the nonionic surfactant Triton X-114 was investigated for concentrating a model virus, namely bacteriophage M13 (M13), prior to LFA. The volume ratio of the two coexisting micellar phases was manipulated to concentrate M13 in the top, micelle-poor phase. The concentration step effectively improved the M13 detection limit of the assay by tenfold from 5×10 8 plaque forming units (pfu)/mL to 5×10 7 pfu/ mL. In the future, the volume ratio can be further manipulated to yield a greater concentration of a target virus and further decrease the detection limits of the LFA.
Intuitive Tactile Zooming for Graphics Accessed by Individuals Who are Blind and Visually Impaired

One possibility of providing access to visual graphics for those who are visually impaired is to present them tactually: unfortunately, details easily available to vision need to be magnified to be accessible through touch. For this, we propose an “intuitive” zooming algorithm to solve potential problems with directly applying visual zooming techniques to haptic displays that sense the current location of a user on a virtual diagram with a position sensor and, then, provide the appropriate local information either through force or tactile feedback. Our technique works by determining and then traversing the levels of an object tree hierarchy of a diagram. In this manner, the zoom steps adjust to the content to be viewed, avoid clipping and do not zoom when no object is present. The algorithm was tested using a small, “mouse-like” display with tactile feedback on pictures representing houses in a community and boats on a lake. We asked the users to answer questions related to details in the pictures. Comparing our technique to linear and logarithmic step zooming, we found a significant increase in the correctness of the responses (odds ratios of 2.64:1 and 2.31:1, respectively) and usability (differences of 36% and 19%, respectively) using our “intuitive” zooming technique.
Optimal discretization strategy for boundary element-based shape optimization problem

This paper deals with the development of a discretization strategy that minimizes the total computing time for solving shape optimization problems in linearly elastic systems. It employs a combination of boundary elements for integration of the governing differential equations and a first-order optimization algorithm. The proposed optimal discretization strategy is implemented and tested using a representative example problem and its effectiveness is assessed in comparison to alternative strategies.
On one-sided filters for spectral Fourier approximations of discontinuous functions

The existence of one-sided filters, for spectral Fourier approximations of discontinuous functions, which can recover spectral accuracy up to discontinuity from one side, was proved. A least square procedure was also used to construct such a filter and test it on several discontinuous functions numerically.
Data integration and information exchange for enhanced control and protection of power systems

One issue that did not get adequate attention regarding control and protection of power systems in the past is the data integration and information exchange. The traditional approaches assume that each function such as protection, control, monitoring, and maintenance are supported by a separate infrastructure of recording instruments and/or controllers for obtaining and processing data. With introduction of the new computer-based equipment for control and protection in the mid eighties, the integration of data and information exchange were possible, but not explored. This paper indicates what are the improvements and benefits that can be obtained by integrating the data and exchanging information among control and protection as well as system-wide monitoring and control functions.
Adapting program analysis tool notifications to the individual developer

There are a variety of tools available for developers to use in their IDEs. Research suggests, however, developers may not use these tools due to difficulty interpreting the output. My research explores the possibility of creating frameworks that enable more individualized program analysis tool notifications for increased usability. I propose creating models that represent what developers know about programming concepts using exisitng developer data. These models could then be used to inform tools on notifications the developer may or may not understand.
Articulating global in communication research as subject and as practice

This contribution considers ways to improve our conceptualization of global communication given considerable challenges in communication research practices. Following a discussion of some of the issues to consider in the articulation of global communication as a research subject, I offer global strategic communication as a more specific venue for recognizing the value of global context in critical scholarship. In conclusion, I propose ways to improve our research practices in order to advance the global significance of our work.
Litigation and Consultation in the WTO 10th Anniversary Review

As the tenth anniversary of the World Trade Organization's (WTO) dispute resolution system was on January 1, 2005, it is truly amazing to review its historical emergence as the central pillar of the global trading system and as the WTO's most important contribution to the multilateral trading system. Renato Ruggiero, the former Director-General of the WTO, made this assessment in 1997.1 Then his statement was premature, but now it is fully born out.
Computational acceleration of orbital neutral sensor ionizer simulation through phenomena separation

Simulation of orbital phenomena is often difficult because of the non-continuum nature of the flow, which forces the use of particle methods, and the disparate time scales, which make long run times necessary. In this work, the computational work load has been reduced by taking advantage of the low number of collisions between different species. This allows each population of particles to be brought into convergence separately using a time step size optimized for its particular motion. The converged populations are then brought together to simulate low probability phenomena, such as ionization or excitation, on much longer time scales. The result of this technique has the effect of reducing run times by a factor of 10 3 - 10 4 . The technique was applied to the simulation of a low earth orbit neutral species sensor with an ionizing element. Comparison with laboratory experiments of ion impacts generated by electron flux shows very good agreement.
Polarization-dependent XAFS Measurements of Spontaneous Ordering in MOCVD-Grown Ga0.5In0.5P on GaAs Substrates

Certain thin-film alloys deposited using epitaxial growth techniques have shown spontaneous long-range ordering and band gap reduction under particular growth conditions. One such thin film is Ga0.5In0.5P grown by MOCVD on single-crystal GaAs aligned 2° from the (100) axis to achieve lattice match. Quantitative results on the gallium nearest neighbor and second nearest neighbor distances, coordination number and disorder parameters will be presented and short range structural ordering will be discussed for several ordered and disordered samples. The data reported are obtained at room and liquid nitrogen temperatures using the total electron yield detection.
An Analyst's Bookshelf

At the recent joint meeting of the M.A.A., A.M.A., and A.A.M. held at Bourbaki A. & M. I was most delighted to encounter my old friend and teacher, Professor P. E. B. Umbugio. On the evening of the final day, after the last paper had been presented, the professor and I, along with several other mathematicians, dined at the local inn before going our several ways. The after-dinner conversation, general at first, eventually turned to books and in particular to a discussion of great works in mathematics. Professor Umbugio, as one of the greatest of living analysts, was asked to name the 20 books which had most influenced his career. After several minutes of deep and considered thought he slowly ticked off the list which appears below. To the surprise of all present he mentioned none of the epoch making works of men such as Euler, Gauss, or Lagrange and none of the modern treatises which are ordinarily considered as the standard works in their fields. When questioned about these omissions the professor replied that while he was quite aware of the importance of these books in the development and expansion of mathematics in general he personally, having had neither the time nor the patience to wade through them, had been influenced by them not at all. Such a highly personalized reading list, drawn up by you or me, would, of course, be of little interest or significance to others. Such a list drawn up by an eminent analyst such as Professor Umbugio is another matter altogether. It should certainly be made available to as wide a circle of mathematicians as possible. It is with this in mind that I have decided to send the list to this journal for publication. Unfortunately, as I took no notes at the time and have not been in contact with Professor Umbugio since then, I have had to rely entirely on my memory. Therefore, some of the titles may not be exactly as stated by the professor. I, of course, take full responsibility for any such inaccuracies. Here then is Professor Umbugio's list.
Fiscal Stimulus and Firms: A Tale of Two Recessions

In this paper, I examine the effects of a countercyclical fiscal policy that gave firms additional tax refunds -- additional liquidity -- at the end of the past two recessions. I take advantage of a discontinuity in the slope of the tax refund formula to estimate the policy's impact. I find that after passage of the policy in 2002, firms allocated $0.40 of every tax refund dollar to investment. After passage of the policy in 2009, in contrast, firms used the refunds to increase cash holdings ($0.96 of every refund dollar) before paying down debt in the following year. I provide evidence that differences in macroeconomic conditions across the two periods drove these differences in firm responses, illustrating how the effects of stimulus vary across recessionary states of the world. I also show that while the policy had no discernable effect on investment in the most recent recessionary period, it did reduce firms’ bankruptcy risk and the probability of a future credit- rating downgrade.
Enlightenment on Chiral Switching’s Success and Failure

The drug-harm affair of dextromethorphan, thalidomide and perhexiline opens out the stereoselectivity for drug action again. Esomeprazole and escitalopram are the successful example for chiral switching. (R)-Fluoxetine conversion is aborted as estimation mistake, but defenfluramine is faced with catastrophic result because of successful chiral switching. Levocetirizine and eszopiclone extend their life cycle by chiral switching.
Antifungal activity of a β-peptide in synthetic urine media: Toward materials-based approaches to reducing catheter-associated urinary tract fungal infections.

Abstract Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) are the most common type of hospital-acquired infection, with more than 30 million catheters placed annually in the US and a 10–30% incidence of infection. Candida albicans forms fungal biofilms on the surfaces of urinary catheters and is the leading cause of fungal urinary tract infections. As a step toward new strategies that could prevent or reduce the occurrence of C. albicans-based CAUTI, we investigated the ability of antifungal β-peptide-based mimetics of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) to kill C. albicans and prevent biofilm formation in synthetic urine. Many α-peptide-based AMPs exhibit antifungal activities, but are unstable in high ionic strength media and are easily degraded by proteases—features that limit their use in urinary catheter applications. Here, we demonstrate that β-peptides designed to mimic the amphiphilic helical structures of AMPs retain 100% of their structural stability and exhibit antifungal and anti-biofilm activity against C. albicans in a synthetic medium that mimics the composition of urine. We demonstrate further that these agents can be loaded into and released from polymer-based multilayer coatings applied to polyurethane, polyethylene, and silicone tubing commonly used as urinary catheters. Our results reveal catheters coated with β-peptide-loaded multilayers to kill planktonic fungal cells for up to 21 days of intermittent challenges with C. albicans and prevent biofilm formation on catheter walls for at least 48 h. These new materials and approaches could lead to advances that reduce the occurrence of fungal CAUTI. Statement of Significance Catheter-associated urinary tract infections are the most common type of hospital-acquired infection. The human pathogen Candida albicans is the leading cause of fungal urinary tract infections, and forms difficult to remove ‘biofilms’ on the surfaces of urinary catheters. We investigated synthetic β-peptide mimics of natural antimicrobial peptides as an approach to kill C. albicans and prevent biofilm formation in media that mimics the composition of urine. Our results reveal these mimics to retain structural stability and activity against C. albicans in synthetic urine. We also report polymer-based approaches to the local release of these agents within urinary catheter tubes. With further development, these materials-based approaches could lead to advances that reduce the occurrence of fungal urinary tract infections.
On the Existence of a Radiance Function for a Partially Coherent Planar Source

Since the publication of an important paper by A. Walther [1] in 1968, several authors [2] have studied radiometry taking into account the random nature of the optical wave field. The traditional radiometric quantities, commonly believed to apply to incoherent sources, have been generalized to pertain to planar sources of an arbitrary state of coherence [1,3]. The generalized formalism of radiometry is based on the second-order coherence theory and the generalized radiometric quantities are linear in the correlation function of the wave field at two points in the source plane.
3-(4-Chlorophenyl)-4-phenylthiosydnone

In the structure of C14H9ClN2O2S [systematic name: 3-(4-chloro­phen­yl)-4-(phenyl­sulfan­yl)-1,2,3λ5-oxa­diazol-3-ylium-5-olate], the central sydnone ring is inclined at angles of 67.49 (10)° to the phenyl ring of the thio­phenyl substituent and 52.61 (10)° to the chloro­phenyl ring. The compound crystallizes utilizing a network of weak S and Cl-based hydrogen bonds, together with S⋯π, O⋯π and C—H⋯π inter­actions, forming a three-dimensional structure. In spite of having three planar rings, no π–π inter­actions are found.
Case study of using LED lamps as energy efficient components

Lebanon is one of the countries not gifted with fossil fuel in the Middle East so it has to import it in order to produce electricity even though the large increase of its price and the environmental impact of its burning. Electricite du Liban (EDL), the state owned company, cannot meet the power demand. Thus, the Lebanese customer has to subscribe with small producers of power (generators) in order to complement the energy provided by EDL. Because of the shortage of energy in the Lebanese public-utility, Lebanese end up paying two electricity bills. This feasibility case study aims to show that replacing fluorescent lamps with light emitting diodes lamps will be energy efficient and by that decrease the cost for energy production.
Improving Grasp Performance Using In-Hand Proximity and Dynamic Tactile Sensing

We demonstrate how low-cost in-hand proximity and dynamic tactile sensing can dramatically improve the reliability of basic manipulation tasks. We use an array of infrared proximity sensors embedded in a transparent elastic polymer and an accelerometer in the robot’s wrist to extract proximity and dynamic tactile information that is inspired by the mechanoreceptors in the human skin. We break the manipulation task down into eight distinct phases and show (1) how proximity information can be used to improve reliability of picking and placing objects, and (2) how dynamic tactile information can be used to discern different phases of grasping. We present experimental results using a Baxter robot involved in a tower construction task.
Rembrandt's Etching Technique: An Example

A Rembrandt print (Landscape with a hay barn and a flock of sheep) in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution has been made the subject of a study of the artist's etching technique.
A Devastating Delay — Zika and the Implementation Gap

Efforts to develop knowledge to guide prevention and clinical management of Zika virus have overshadowed another critical need: ensuring that new knowledge is disseminated to frontline providers and used to improve care.
Isothermal EHL problem for chemically degrading lubricant

Summary A new formulation for an elastohydrodynamic problem with degrading lubricant is proposed. The formulation takes into account stress-induced degradation of polymer additive to lubricant on the basis of the kinetic equation for polymer degradation. Degradation of polymer additive results in an irreversible viscosity loss, which, in turn, leads to a reduced lubrication film thickness and change in other contact parameters. The problem is solved numerically. A solution of the kinetics equation is compared with some experimental polymer degradation data. The calculated value of the viscosity loss in a lubricated contact is similar to an earlier obtained one in experiments.
Effect of amylase on sperm motility and viability.

Abstract The effect of increasing concentrations of amylase on the percentage of active spermatozoa, the quality of their motility and the percentage of viable cells was studied in semen samples in vitro. The amount of amylase needed to liquefy viscous semen samples in vitro also was determined. The percentage of active spermatozoa and viable cells, and the quality of sperm motility were altered in relationship to the amylase levels. Significant decreases in these parameters compared to control values were seen at the higher concentrations of amylase. The lowest level of amylase did not alter these parameters significantly and was sufficient to liquefy 80 per cent of the viscous semen samples. Amylase appears to be effective at low concentrations for use in liquefying viscous semen samples, thus making them easier to analyze during routine semen examination. The level of amylase used and the interval between addition and analysis must be controlled carefully.
Natural History of Osteosarcoma—Has it Changed?

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone sarcoma, accounting for approximately 20% of all bone sarcomas.(1) The variants of classic osteosarcoma are well recognized.(2) Because each of these variants may have its own distinctive clinical and biologic behavior, these must be taken into consideration when classifying and analyzing results of various clinical trials. For example, patients with parosteal osteosarcoma may be treated by surgery alone with the expectation that 90% will be cured. However, the osteosarcoma which arises in Paget’s disease has a particularly poor prognosis.
Emotional experience during rapid-eye-movement sleep in narcolepsy.

Study objectives To describe emotional experience during sleep-onset rapid-eye-movement [(REM) SOREM] sleep and nighttime REM in narcoleptic patients and to relate any differences in REM emotion to the more general abnormalities of this disorder. Design Awakenings were performed from SOREM (REM at the onset of daytime naps and nighttime sleep) and nighttime emergent (ascending) REM in 15 patients with narcolepsy and from nighttime REM in 9 normal healthy participants. Subjects rated the occurrence and intensity of discrete emotion types for each line in their REM-mentation reports. Fragmentation of REM was measured and related to emoton. Setting Subjects were studied in their own homes over 2 consecutive days and nights (3 nights for normals) and were monitored by ambulatory polysomnography. Participants Fifteen patients with narcolepsy, aged 17 to 70 years (mean = 45.3) and 9 normal healthy subjects, aged 31 to 60 years (mean = 43.0). Results Emotions were found more often and were more intense in narcoleptic SOREM than in nighttime REM of either narcoleptic or normal subjects, with anxiety/fear exhibiting the strongest increase, followed by joy/elation. Comparing nighttime REM in narcoleptic and normal subjects, narcoleptics were found to have more intense feelings of anxiety/fear and of joy/elation but to have a less frequent experience of surprise and anger. Positive and negative emotions occurred in a balanced fashion in SOREM and nighttime REM in narcoleptic subjects. In the SOREM of narcoleptic patients, high levels of positive emotions, in particular of joy/elation, were associated with a less fragmented (more stable) REM sleep. Conclusion The REM sleep of patients with narcolepsy affords a unique opportunity to study emotion and to analyze its psychophysiology. Narcolepsy intensifies REM-dream emotion, especially anxiety/fear and joy/elation, and this is most clearly seen during SOREM sleep. The changes in REM emotion of narcoleptic patients could reflect the effect of the fundamental pathology of this disorder upon neurobiologic systems that support cognitive-emotional functions.
Girls on the Run: Impact of a Physical Activity Youth Development Program on Psychosocial and Behavioral Outcomes

Purpose: Girls on the Run is an after-school physical activity-based positive youth development program designed to enhance girls’ social, psychological, and physical development. We evaluated the ...
River metrics by the public, for the public.

Managing rivers in society’s best interest requires data on river condition. However, the complexity of river ecosystems, combined with finite budgets for river monitoring and modeling, mean difficult choices are necessary regarding what information will be available. Typically, decisions of "what to measure" are left to natural scientists. However, knowledge of public appetite for different types of information helps ensure river data is useful to society. We investigated public interest in rivers directly, engaging nearly one hundred urban and rural participants in a combination of focus groups and semi-structured interviews. Drawing on concepts of "final" ecosystem services developed in environmental economics, we moved discussions past commonly mentioned stressors, such as pollution, to actual river features important in and of themselves. Participant feedback reflected extensive thought on river issues, in contrast to a stereotype that the public is ambivalent about environmental conditions. Interests were also broad, encompassing water quality and quantity, fish and wildlife, vegetation, and human features. Results show consolidation around relatively few themes despite diverse sociodemographics. Themes were interpreted into distilled, specific metrics to make public feedback as useful as possible for water resources monitoring, modeling, and management. Our research provides detailed, methodically generated hypotheses regarding river themes and metrics of public interest that should be considered as part of the tradeoffs inherent in river monitoring design. Results compared reasonably well to river attributes emphasized in river restoration environmental valuation reviews, with some differences. Future research could test our hypotheses with large-sample surveys.
Dengue and Zika: The Complexities of Being Related.

Following the recent Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak in the Americas, a major question that has arisen is how dengue virus (DENV) immunity impacts Zika virus infection and disease. A recent study (Rodriguez-Barraquer, I. et al. Science 2019;363:607–610) shows that DENV immunity is, for the most part, protective against ZIKV, but exceptions may exist.
(Keynote) Machine Learning and High-Speed Circuitry in Thin Film Transistors for Sensor Interfacing in Hybrid Large-Area Electronic Systems

The advent of flexible substrates with thin film transistors (TFTs) over large areas (meters) makes large-area electronics (LAE) an attractive platform for integrating very large numbers of sensors onto surfaces over large areas. While TFT's may directly interface to sensors and may be used for sensor addressing, to realistically communicate with the outside world, IC's will probably be bonded onto the "sensor sheets" to create a "hybrid" LAE/IC system. This paper examines novel architectures to minimize the number of physical interfaces to the IC, beyond the typical TFT-based active-matrix approach. Approaches demonstrated include (i) high-frequency TFT-based analog oscillators, and (ii) implementing elements of machine learning into TFT circuitry, so a higher-level information is sent to the IC's, thus requiring fewer physical connections.
Trajectories of posttraumatic stress in patients with confirmed and rule-out acute coronary syndrome

Abstract Many patients evaluated in the emergency department (ED) for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) develop posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), but little is known about symptom trajectories over time. We estimated longitudinal trajectories of PTSS from ED to 1 year after evaluation for suspected ACS (N = 1000), and the effect of threat perceptions and discharge diagnosis. Participants reported on threat perceptions in the ED, ongoing cardiac threat at 1 month, and PTSS at 1, 6, and 12 months. Latent growth mixture modeling identified 3 PTSS trajectories over 1 year: Resilient (81.75%), Chronic-Worsening (13.69%), and Acute-Recovering (4.56%). Chronic-Worsening and Acute-Recovering classes reported significantly higher ED and cardiac threat perceptions than Resilient class. Discharge diagnosis did not differ (χ2(2) = 2.93, p = .231). PTSS are common following evaluation for suspected ACS, and trajectories vary, but targeting threat perceptions may reduce PTSS and improve clinical course, whether or not patients are ultimately diagnosed with ACS.
An Assessment of the Dynamic Global Warming Impact Associated with Long-Term Emissions from Landfills

Landfills are a major contributor of anthropogenic CH4 emissions. Since the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with landfilling waste can occur over decades to centuries, the standard static approach to estimating global warming impacts may not accurately represent the global warming impacts of landfills. The objective of this study is to assess the implications of using 100 yr and 20 yr static and dynamic global warming potential (GWP) approaches to estimate the global warming impacts from municipal solid waste landfills. A life-cycle model was developed to estimate GHG emissions for three gas treatment cases (passive venting, flare, CH4 conversion to electricity) and four decay rates. For the 100 yr GWP, other model uncertainties (e.g., static GWP values, decay rate, moisture content, or gas collection efficiency) generally had a larger effect on the estimated global warming impact than the choice of static versus dynamic GWP methods. This shows that when comparing single-point GWP values, the choice of static versus dynamic is relatively unimportant for most landfills. While dynamic GWPs consider temporal variance and provide useful estimates for the warming over a set time horizon, for most comparative analyses, static values provide reasonable bounds for the actual 100 yr warming impact.
Intratesticular mepivacaine versus lidocaine in anaesthetised horses undergoing Henderson castration

Background In horses undergoing castration, direct comparison of intratesticular lidocaine vs mepivacaine as analgesic adjuncts has not yet been analysed. Objective To compare the effects of intratesticular lidocaine and mepivacaine during equine castration using the Henderson drill under total intravenous anesthesia. Study design Randomised, double-blinded clinical study. Methods Thirty-four stallions were anaesthetised using xylazine-ketamine and randomly selected to receive 10 mL either lidocaine or mepivacaine injected into each testicle. Both surgeon and anaesthetist were blinded to the selected treatment. A total of 5 minutes were required to pass between injection and first incision. Routine castration using a Henderson drill was performed. Heart rate, respiratory rate and SpO2 were serially recorded. Total surgical time, time prior to clamping of each testicle and time to second incision were recorded. Cremaster muscle relaxation, surgical quality scores, number of additional ketamine boluses, recovery time and recovery quality were assessed between groups. Results Cremaster relaxation scores were significantly better for the mepivacaine group over the lidocaine group on a 1-3 scoring system (1 being most relaxed, 3 being least). The average cremaster relaxation score on both testicles treated with mepivacaine was 1 compared to the lidocaine treatment averaging 2 [P = .03 first testicle; P = .04 second testicle]. The lidocaine group had an increased number of horses requiring additional ketamine (25% of horses) compared to the mepivacaine group (16% of horses). No other significant differences were observed between the groups. Main limitations The use of only one injection method and lack of post-operative pain scoring limit the conclusions that can be drawn from these results. Conclusion Intratesticular mepivacaine when compared with intratesticular lidocaine results in improved cremaster muscle relaxation when only waiting five min prior to the start of the procedure.
Recent advances in metasurface flat optics (Conference Presentation)

"Recent advances in metasurface flat optics" was recorded at Photonics West 2020 in San Francisco, California.
Learning Dexterous Manipulation from Suboptimal Experts.

Learning dexterous manipulation in high-dimensional state-action spaces is an important open challenge with exploration presenting a major bottleneck. Although in many cases the learning process could be guided by demonstrations or other suboptimal experts, current RL algorithms for continuous action spaces often fail to effectively utilize combinations of highly off-policy expert data and on-policy exploration data. As a solution, we introduce Relative Entropy Q-Learning (REQ), a simple policy iteration algorithm that combines ideas from successful offline and conventional RL algorithms. It represents the optimal policy via importance sampling from a learned prior and is well-suited to take advantage of mixed data distributions. We demonstrate experimentally that REQ outperforms several strong baselines on robotic manipulation tasks for which suboptimal experts are available. We show how suboptimal experts can be constructed effectively by composing simple waypoint tracking controllers, and we also show how learned primitives can be combined with waypoint controllers to obtain reference behaviors to bootstrap a complex manipulation task on a simulated bimanual robot with human-like hands. Finally, we show that REQ is also effective for general off-policy RL, offline RL, and RL from demonstrations. Videos and further materials are available at this http URL.
Probing the hierarchy of evidence to identify the best strategy for placing class II dental composite restorations using current materials

Objective The objective of this review is to present a synopsis of the existing clinical and in vitro evidence regarding placement of direct class II restorations with dental composites of varying viscosities, focusing on the marginal integrity achievable. Overview The literature on class II composites placed with various techniques was searched through PubMed, Scopus, and the citations of identified articles, focusing on aspects related to adaptation and clinical performance. Studies comparing layering of conventional composite to layering with a flowable liner, including the "snow plow technique," use of warmed composite, flowable bulk-fill liners with a conventional composite capping layer, and bulk-fill restorative in a single or incremental fill (including placement with sonic energy and dual-curing) CONCLUSIONS: In vitro and clinical evidence does not support any one specific method or material type for achieving optimal performance when restoring class II cavity preparations with current dental composites. Clinical significance Although there are many available placement methods and types of composite materials on the market for use in class II restorations, the reasonable success presented in the clinical and laboratory literature for the various approaches suggests that the most important factor for achieving success is likely careful and proper placement and light-curing technique, independent of the approach.
Abstract P435: Medical and Neurosurgical Interventions in Left Ventricular Assist Device-Associated Intracranial Hemorrhage

Background: Management of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) in patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) is complicated by the competing concerns of hematoma expansion and the risk of throm...
Connecting with the future: The role of science fiction movies in helping consumers understand privacy-technology trade-offs

This article examines the ways in which sci‐fi films help consumers understand the tradeoffs between personal privacy concerns and other societal concerns that arise due to new technologies. Drawing upon media priming theory, the authors present a conceptual framework and accompanying research questions that suggest how priming from a futuristic movie influences consumers sentiment toward technology and privacy, from its release date and throughout its availability on movie streaming services. Through a series of studies, including qualitative analysis and text‐based sentiment analysis of reviews in the IMBD database, the authors provide evidence to support this theoretical conceptualization. The findings demonstrate that online reviews are useful as a data source to gauge emotional intensity and text analysis of science fiction film reviews provides a useful methodology for understanding consumer perceptions about the future. Science fiction movies may help consumers frame privacy‐technology tradeoffs and take action to protect their privacy.