cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Content Analysis of Session-Opening Prayers in the U.S. Congress

Each formal session of each House of the U.S. States Congress opens with a prayer. The tradition of opening each session with a prayer dates back to the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and has been observed since Congress began meeting in 1789. Each House is served by a Chaplain who is selected by the Members of that House. Prayers are given usually by that House’s Chaplain and sometimes a guest chaplain. To date all of the regular Chaplains have been Christians, and all but three have been Roman Catholics. Some of the guest chaplains have represented non-Christian religious traditions. In delivering daily prayers, the chaplains ask for divine guidance over the actions of the Congress. In doing so, they make reference frequently to current issues. The prayers often mention places where important events occur, for example, the sites of wars, conflicts and natural disasters. Calls for prayers are often requested by Members of the House and Senate, often in memory of well-known public figures, soldiers and first responders who have lost their lives in the line of duty or victims of natural disasters. The chapter presents the results of a content analysis of Congressional prayers given in recent years from a geographical perspective. What places are mentioned? How have these places been described? What divine guidance is sought? I also consider the extent to which the prayer content varies by chaplains of different faiths, how the content has changed over time, and the relationship between prayers and the eventual direction of current events. The analysis touches on the ongoing the relationship between church and state that is central to the American experience and the Judeo-Christian tradition.
An examination of the parent report version of the inventory of callous-unemotional traits in a community sample of first-grade children

Background. The Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits is a self- and other report questionnaire of callous-unemotional behaviors that is increasingly widely used in research and clinical settings. Nonetheless, questions about the factor structure and validity of scales remain. Method. This study provided the first large-scale (N = 1,078) investigation of the parent report version of the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits in a community sample of school-age (first-grade) children. Results. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a two-factor model that distinguished empathic-prosocial (EP) from callous-unemotional (CU) behaviors provided the best fit to the data. EP and CU were moderately to strongly correlated with each other (? = -.67, p < .001) and with oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder (ODD/CD) behaviors (?ODD/CD, EP = -.55; ?ODD/CD, CU = .71, ps < .001). Individual differences in EP and CU behaviors explained unique variation, beyond that attributable to ODD/CD behaviors, in peer-, teacher-, and parent relationship quality. Moreover, whereas EP moderated the effects of ODD/CD in the prediction of student–teacher relationship quality, CU moderated the effects of ODD/CD in the prediction of peer and parent relationship quality. Conclusions. Results are discussed with respect to the use of the ICU with school-age children.
The Band Spectra of the Hydrides of Lithium

About 1000 lines, comprising 26 bands, of ${\mathrm{Li}}^{7}$H have been remeasured and given quantum assignments. The experimental arrangements are similar to those given in Part I on ${\mathrm{Li}}^{7}$D. The corresponding ${\ensuremath{\Delta}}_{2}{F}_{v}(J)$ values have been represented as polynomials of the usual form in $J(J+1)$, where the ground state data are represented to within \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.018 and the upper state data to within \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.021 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ (i.e., to within roughly \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.0024A for the whole spectrum). Constants. Important constants for the ground state are ${{B}_{e}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}=7.5131$, ${{D}_{e}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}=\ensuremath{-}8.617\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}$, ${{H}_{e}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}=11.4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}$, ${{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{e}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}=1405.65$, ${{x}_{e}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}{{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{e}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}=+23.20$ and ${{y}_{e}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}{{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{e}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}=+0.1633$; corresponding constants for the upper state although less certain because of the errors of extrapolation (which are greater than for LiD) are in order 2.8186, 15.8\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}$, 100(\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}30)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}$, 234.41, -28.95 and -4.185. The constants for the ground state show a small discrepancy between $\ensuremath{\rho}$ and $\frac{{{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{e}}^{i}}{{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{e}}$, and ${\ensuremath{\rho}}^{2}$ and $\frac{{{B}_{e}}^{i}}{{B}_{e}}$. In fact from these two ratios we find $\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\rho}=+0.000143 (\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.00003)$ and $\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\rho}=+0.00020 (\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.00006)$, where the plus sign indicates the fact that the observed $\ensuremath{\rho}'\mathrm{s}$ are these amounts greater than the atomic mass $\ensuremath{\rho}$ values. Consideration of Dunham's higher order calculation of the interaction of vibration and rotation accounts for about 1/3 of the discrepancy in the $\ensuremath{\rho}$ from the ratio of the ${B}_{e}\mathrm{s}$. The vibrational numbering adopted here agrees with Nakamura's and is such that the maxima in the ${{B}_{v}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ and $\ensuremath{\Delta}{G}^{\ensuremath{'}}(v+1)$ curves occur at energies which are approximately the same for the LiH and the LiD molecule. We find no evidence of $l$-uncoupling and feel that the anomaly of the upper state is to be ascribed to an anomalous potential curve. The electronic origin isotope shift of this $^{1}\ensuremath{\Sigma}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}^{1}\ensuremath{\Sigma}$ system of LiH is 0.0(\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.5) ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$.
A unified treatment of the ρ and ρ

A two-channelN/D method is used to analyze the ππ scatteringp-wave phase shift and inelasticity data up to 2 GeV c.m. energy. We show that if the inelastic scattering of the pions is represented by the second quasi-two-body channel, a two-channel parametrization with two subtractions provides an excellent representation of the data. In addition, the correctp-wave scattering length is obtained in agreement with dispersive sum rules.
ED-09TANCYTIC EPENDYMOMA: PRESENTATION OF A RARE CYSTIC DISEASE VARIANT AND REVIEW OF LITERATURE

BACKGROUND: Tanycytic ependymoma is a rare variant of ependymoma and treatment guidelines are not established. We conduct a systematic review of the literature to show management options for patients with tanycytic ependymoma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed a Pubmed- and hand search to identify patients with pathologically confirmed tanycytic ependymoma. Symptoms, radiological and pathological findings as well as treatment modalities and outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: 38 studies involving a total of 57 patients were retrieved. Most of the tanycytic ependymomas occurred in the spinal cord (45,6%), followed by lesions located in intracranial sites (40,4%) and only a few at the cervicomedullary junction (3,5%). There was no gender predelection (female to male ratio is calculated as about 1:1,3), with a mean age at diagnosis of approximately 34,9 ± 17,3 years. Surgery has been suggested offering a potential cure, but recurrence rates remain unknown. Radiation has been used after subtotal resection, but the effects of EBXRT have not been reported. The use of targeted chemotherapy has not been employed. We also present an illustrative case that was managed successfully with surgery without associated morbidity. CONCLUSION: This review on tanycytic ependymomas supports surgery as the initial treatment of choice for this rare tumor. Radiotherapy can be taken into consideration when total gross resection could not be achieved allowing prolonged progression free survival. Given the benign nature of this subtype of ependymoma, aggressive treatment modalities such as chemotherapy are usually not indicated.
New Species of Lichens from Porto Rico. II

As planned by the author of the first paper 2 of this series, the second and third papers have been published by Doctor E. A. Vainio and Doctor A. Zahlbruckner respectively. It is the writer's privilege to present this miseellaneous group of new species by various authors as the fourth paper. The types are deposited in the Herbarium of the University of Michigan, as are also the types of the species listed in the first paper of this series, and cotypes of those in the second and third
486 DISCORDANT CIRCADIAN RHYTHM AND NEUROPATHOLOGY IN ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE TRANSGENIC MICE.

Alzheimer9s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive decline in cognitive function, dementia, and eventual mortality. Neuropathological features of AD include β-amyloid (Aβ) plaque deposition and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) in the cerebral cortex, as well as dysfunction of synaptic terminals and decreased synaptic number. An early behavioral feature of AD is the disruption of sleep cycles. The relative timing of the neuropathological changes and the symptomatic cognitive decline is unknown. In this study we examine the relationship between the earliest microanatomical and cognitive manifestations of AD by determining the temporal relationship, if any, between the appearance of neuropathology and the onset of circadian rhythm abnormalities in 3-month-old transgenic (Tgx3) mice (Oddo, 2003). Locomotion of 3-month AD and wild-type (WT) Tgx3 mice was observed for 1 month and recorded as interruptions of a matrix of infrared beams in constant darkness. The interruptions were plotted as a function of time and analyzed for 24-hour rhythm power. Three-month AD and WT mice were anesthetized and preserved with intracardiac perfusion of 10% formaldehyde. Coronal sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin; immunohistochemical and fluorescent stains, including Gallyas silver, Thioflavin S, anti-Aβ 1-42, and immunoperoxidase were used to detect NFTs and Aβ. Stains for Aβ 1-42 and NFTs were negative. However, preliminary analysis indicates a 5.45-fold decrease in the power of the 24-hour circadian rhythm in AD mice compared to WT. These preliminary findings suggest that symptoms of behavioral decline characteristic of AD may precede the neuropathological changes.
Morbidity of redo surgery for thyroid disease.

AbstractObjective: Redo thyroid surgery is generally associated with more complications than firsthand surgery. The actual study reports a single center experience of redo thyroid surgery compared to primary bilateral thyroidectomy. Study Design: Mono institutional retrospective study.Materials and Methods: Institutional review of redo thyroid surgery patients (Group 2: completion thyroidectomy and Group 3: thyroidectomy for recurrent thyroid diseases) compared to Group 1: primary bilateral thyroidectomy operated on during the same time interval.Results: Demographic characteristics were not different between groups. Substernal extension and hyperthyroidism were more frequent in group 1. Weight of the resected thyroid gland was lower in groups 2 and 3. Incidence of transient hypocalcemia, permanent hypoparathyroidism, transient and permanent recurrent laryngeal palsy was not different between the groups. Hematoma occurred in 5% of cases in the 3 groups and postoperative length of stay was 1 day in 92% of c...
Optical performance monitoring in optical long-haul transmission systems

Optical long-haul transmission systems refer to those that can transmit signals over fiber at long distance (>1000 km) without expensive optical-electrical-optical (OEO) regeneration in the middle of the link. The transmission distance can extend to several thousand kilometers. There is no explicit definition for the boundary of the long-haul transmission. However, a long-haul system usually has to address system degradations due to long fiber transmission link. Optical performance monitoring (OPM) plays a critical role in long-haul transmission system operations. It would be very costly and difficult to process all channels via electronic monitoring. OPM has shown competitive advantages to simplify system design, optimize system performance, shorten system installation, and lower operations cost. OPM introduces multilevel performance testing for a long-haul transmission system. As next-generation optical transmission, systems move up to 40 Gb/s and 100 G, new OPM functions are needed to accurately monitor the performance of devices and transmission links. The development of cost-effective OPM technology is crucial to the continued growth of the optical communications industry.
Integrating complex aviation science projects into undergraduate engineering education with dialectic design approach and comparative performance analysis for innovative practices

Engineering students are challenged with implementing and developing systems within STEM disciplines. The dialectic design approach and comparative performance analysis were created for undergraduate engineering students as a teaching method to facilitate and improve student-learning experiences in STEM disciplines. We had found in our study that both the dialectic design approach and comparative performance analysis are critical to the theoretical development and the fundamental practices for engineering education in course learning objectives. These teaching methods were created for undergraduate engineering students to support specific interdisciplinary practices such as aviation sciences and course objectives focused on emerging issues concerning the design process and performance analysis. An undergraduate engineering course must promoted student-learning experiences for innovative practices through engineering models and performance analysis. The integration design in this course supported areas that include complex aviation science projects and the requirement constraints for system development.
Indoor Spatial Updating With Impaired Vision.

Purpose Spatial updating is the ability to keep track of position and orientation while moving through an environment. We asked how normally sighted and visually impaired subjects compare in spatial updating and in estimating room dimensions. Methods Groups of 32 normally sighted, 16 low-vision, and 16 blind subjects estimated the dimensions of six rectangular rooms. Updating was assessed by guiding the subjects along three-segment paths in the rooms. At the end of each path, they estimated the distance and direction to the starting location, and to a designated target. Spatial updating was tested in five conditions ranging from free viewing to full auditory and visual deprivation. Results The normally sighted and low-vision groups did not differ in their accuracy for judging room dimensions. Correlations between estimated size and physical size were high. Accuracy of low-vision performance was not correlated with acuity, contrast sensitivity, or field status. Accuracy was lower for the blind subjects. The three groups were very similar in spatial-updating performance, and exhibited only weak dependence on the nature of the viewing conditions. Conclusions People with a wide range of low-vision conditions are able to judge room dimensions as accurately as people with normal vision. Blind subjects have difficulty in judging the dimensions of quiet rooms, but some information is available from echolocation. Vision status has little impact on performance in simple spatial updating; proprioceptive and vestibular cues are sufficient.
A somatic GNA11 mutation is associated with extremity capillary malformation and overgrowth.

Capillary malformation is a cutaneous vascular anomaly that is present at birth, darkens over time, and can cause overgrowth of tissues beneath the stain. The lesion is caused by a somatic activating mutation in GNAQ. In a previous study, we were unable to identify a GNAQ mutation in patients with a capillary malformation involving an overgrown lower extremity. We hypothesized that mutations in GNA11 or GNA14, genes closely related to GNAQ, also may cause capillary malformations. Human capillary malformation tissue obtained from 8 patients that had tested negative for GNAQ mutations were studied. Lesions involved an extremity (n = 7) or trunk (n = 1). Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) was used to detect GNA11 or GNA14 mutant cells (p.Arg183) in the specimens. Single molecule molecular inversion probe sequencing (smMIP-seq) was performed to search for other mutations in GNA11. Mutations were validated by subcloning and sequencing amplimers. We found a somatic GNA11 missense mutation (c.547C > T; p.Arg183Cys) in 3 patients with a diffuse capillary malformation of an extremity. Mutant allelic frequencies ranged from 0.3 to 5.0%. GNA11 or GNA14 mutations were not found in 5 affected tissues or in unaffected tissues (white blood cell DNA). GNA11 mutations are associated with extremity capillary malformations causing overgrowth. Pharmacotherapy that affects GNA11 signaling may prevent the progression of capillary malformations.
Neural correlates of face processing in etiologically-distinct 12-month-old infants at high-risk of autism spectrum disorder

Abstract Neural correlates of face processing were examined in 12-month-olds at high-risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including 21 siblings of children with ASD (ASIBs) and 15 infants with fragile X syndrome (FXS), as well as 21 low-risk (LR) controls. Event-related potentials were recorded to familiar and novel face and toy stimuli. All infants demonstrated greater N290 amplitude to faces than toys. At the Nc component, LR infants showed greater amplitude to novel stimuli than to their mother’s face and own toy, whereas infants with FXS showed the opposite pattern of responses and ASIBs did not differentiate based on familiarity. These results reflect developing face specialization across high- and low-risk infants and reveal neural patterns that distinguish between groups at high-risk for ASD.
Alkali–Cosolvent–Polymer Flooding for Viscous Oil Recovery: 2D Evaluation

Waterflood in a viscous oil reservoir is not very efficient because the water fingers through the oil due to adverse viscosity. Typically, thermal methods are used to recover viscous (and heavy) oil. However, thermal methods can be inefficient when the depth of the reservoir is high and pay thickness is low. Nonthermal chemical enhanced-oil-recovery (EOR) methods are being developed as alternatives. Recently, a new low-cost chemical EOR technology called alkali–cosolvent–polymer (ACP) flooding has been developed which does not use any synthetic surfactant. In viscous oil reservoirs, the oil recovery in the first 30 years is more important than the ultimate recovery, which may take many hundreds of years. The purpose of this study is to identify the optimum ACP slug viscosity and the optimum timing for the initiation of the ACP process. ACP formulations that achieve ultralow tension were developed. Since the sweep efficiency is challenging in viscous oil reservoirs, ACP floods were performed in a quarter 5...
Porous fibres with encapsulated functional materials and tunable release

A novel sequential processing approach to fabricate versatile fibres containing encapsulated materials is presented. It is based on developing highly porous fibres, to be filled with functional materials and coated with protective layers. Applicability of the approach to develop porous poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) fibres with encapsulated antibacterial salts within a coating is demonstrated. The salt was introduced to the fibre via a sacrificial solvent. Desired solvent properties to ensure successful filling was discussed. The salt was encapsulated via spray coating. The coating characteristics were tuned via vapour treatment to facilitate controllable radial salt release. Large volume axial release was also achieved due to the axial pore connectivity. Compared to state-of-the-art methods to produce fibres with functional material inclusions such as emulsion electrospinning, the method presented herein, due to its sequential processing nature, offers greater freedom in material selection and thus broad applications of the fibres.
Not enough fruit and vegetables or too many cookies, candies, salty snacks, and soft drinks?

Objectives.There are many contributors to obesity, including excess consumption of “discretionary calories” (foods high in sugar and fat and low in essential nutrients), lack of fruit/vegetable consumption, and insufficient physical activity. This study contrasted physical activity, fruit/vegetable consumption, and discretionary calorie consumption from selected foods relative to the 2005 dietary guidelines.Methods.We conducted a cross-sectional survey in 228 urban census tracts in Los Angeles County (LAC) and Southern Louisiana (SL) and estimated calories in the past 24 hours from fruit, vegetables, cookies, candy, salty snacks, sweetened soda, and alcohol among 2,767 participants.Results.The population-weighted mean daily intake of calories from candy, cookies, salty snacks, soda, and alcohol was 438 in LAC and 617 in SL. Alcohol comprised a small portion of the calories consumed. Reported discretionary calorie consumption from a small set of items exceeded guidelines by more than 60% in LAC and 120% in...
Telecommunications- and Information Technology–Inspired Analyses: Review of an Intelligent Transportation Systems Experience

This paper reviews both the author’s experience with managing highway network traffic on a real-time basis and the ongoing research into harnessing the potential of telecommunications and information technology (IT). On the basis of the lessons learned, this paper speculates about how telecommunications and IT capabilities can respond to current and future developments in traffic management. Issues arising from disruptive telecommunications technologies include the ready availability of real-time information, the crowdsourcing of information, the challenges of big data, and the need for information quality. Issues arising from transportation technologies include autonomous vehicles and connected vehicles and new taxi-like car- and bikesharing. Illustrations are drawn from the following core functions of a traffic management center: (a) detecting and resolving an incident (possibly through crowdsourcing), (b) monitoring and forecasting traffic (possibly through connected vehicles serving as sensors), (c) a...
Critical concepts in queer studies and education: An international guide for the twenty-first century: edited by Nelson M. Rodriguez, Wayne J. Martino, Jennifer C. Ingrey, and Edward Brockenbrough. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016. 491pp., ISBN 978-1-137-55424-6

In the 2016 volume Critical concepts in queer studies and education: An international guide for the twenty-first century, the editors Rodriguez, Martino, Ingrey, and Brockenbrough offer insights in...
On the myth of reported precision in public opinion polls

Many public opinion polls report a mythical margin of error. These reported margins of error are calculated on the basis of a nonexistent (fictitious) dichotomous poll question and are completely u...
Surgical skill level assessment using automatic feature extraction methods

Objective and automatic evaluation of surgical skill is important for the design of surgical simulators used in surgical robotics training. Extensive research has been done to identify and evaluate a variety of evaluation metrics (e.g., path length, completion time); however, these metrics are only provided to the user after completion of the task, and may not fully use the underlying information in the movement data. This study proposes a method for automatic and objective evaluation of surgical expertise levels, in short time intervals, during task performance. We first compare three different automatic feature extraction methods including: (1) principle component analysis (PCA), (2) independent component analysis (ICA), and (3) linear discriminant analysis (LDA) on low-level position data, in their ability to distinguish among different expertise levels. We then study the performance of the best feature extraction method in different time intervals, for the purpose of finding the minimal time frame that accurately predicts user skill level. 14 subjects of different expertise levels were recruited to perform two simulated tasks on the da Vinci training simulator. The position of the subjects’ arm joints (shoulder, elbow and wrist) in the dominant hand, as well as the position of both hands, were recorded. Four classifiers (Naive Bayes, support vector machine, nearest neighbor, and Decision Tree) were used to identify the best feature extraction method. The results indicate that PCA in combination with support vector machine can classify expertise levels with an accuracy of 98% in time frames of 0.25 seconds.
Upper Genital Tract Infections in Women

Female upper genital tract infections can occur in the endometrium (endometritis), uterine wall (myometritis), the uterine serosa and broad ligaments (parametritis), the fallopian tubes (salpingitis), the ovary (oophoritis), and the pelvic peritoneum (peritonitis). Because itmay not be possible to identify the site of infection precisely, the term pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is often used when one or more of these organs are involved. The terms upper genital tract infections and PID are used interchangeably in this chapter. Salpingitis is the most common form of PID. These infections can result from ascent of cervical sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or other pathogens or from complications of surgery. Direct medical costs of upper genital tract infections and their sequelae are estimated to be nearly $2 billion annually in the United States (1).
Hot Gas Morphology, Thermal Structure, and the AGN Connection in Normal Elliptical Galaxies

Quantitative morphological studies of the hot ISM in normal elliptical galaxies are in their early explorative stages. Such studies have the potential to reveal much about the mass distributions in these systems and the roles of active galactic nuclei and environmental interactions in their evolution. If the hot ISM were precisely in hydrostatic equilibrium, measurements of gas temperature, density, and morphology could reveal not only a galaxy’s radial mass profile, but the shape of the total gravitating mass. However, the available evidence from Chandraobservations indicates that this precise degree of equilibrium is not a characteristic of the general population of ellipticals. Instead, gas morphologies are seen to be nearly always disturbed; the degree of disturbance is correlated with indicators of nuclear activity and with signs of interaction with the intergalactic medium. The systems with more nuclear activity are also characterized by temperature profiles that increase outward in the main stellar bodies, at moderate radii. These correlations indicate an important, but still ambiguous, role for active galactic nuclei in determining both the thermal properties and the morphologies of the hot gas. Future progress in understanding and interpreting gas morphology will require the development of more sophisticated, and more stringently tested, quantitative measures of shape and asymmetry.
Spatial Representations in the Human Brain

While extensive research on the neurophysiology of spatial memory has been carried out in rodents, memory research in humans had traditionally focused on more abstract, language-based tasks. Recent studies have begun to address this gap using virtual navigation tasks in combination with electrophysiological recordings in humans. These studies suggest that the human MTL is equipped with a population of place and grid cells similar to that previously observed in the rodent brain. Furthermore, theta oscillations have been linked to spatial navigation and, more specifically, to the encoding and retrieval of spatial information. While some studies suggest a single navigational theta rhythm which is of lower frequency in humans than rodents, other studies advocate for the existence of two functionally distinct delta-theta frequency bands involved in both spatial and episodic memory. Despite the general consensus between rodent and human electrophysiology, behavioral work in humans does not unequivocally support the use of a metric Euclidean map for navigation. Formal models of navigational behavior, which specifically consider the spatial scale of the environment and complementary learning mechanisms, may help to better understand different navigational strategies and their neurophysiological mechanisms. Finally, the functional overlap of spatial and declarative memory in the MTL calls for a unified theory of MTL function. Such a theory will critically rely upon linking task-related phenomena at multiple temporal and spatial scales. Understanding how single cell responses relate to ongoing theta oscillations during both the encoding and retrieval of spatial and non-spatial associations appears to be key towards developing a more mechanistic understanding of memory processes in the MTL.
FLOOR: fusing locally optimal registrations.

Most registration algorithms, such as Demons [1], align two scans by iteratively finding the deformation minimizing the image dissimilarity at each location and smoothing this minimum across the image domain. These methods generally get stuck in local minima, are negatively impacted by missing correspondences between the images, and require careful tuning of the smoothing parameters to achieve optimal results. In this paper, we propose to improve on those issues by choosing the minimum from a set of candidates. Our method generates such candidates by running the registration algorithm multiple times varying the setting of the smoothing and the image domain. We iteratively refine those candidates by fusing them with the outcome of alternative approaches and locally adapting the smoothing parameters. We implement our algorithm based on Demons [1] and find alternative minima via manifold learning [2]. Compared to those two methods, our 600 pairwise registrations of cardiac MRIs significantly better handle the large shape variations of the heart and the different field of views captured by scans.
Regulation of gene expression by epidermal growth factor.

Many constituents of serum and of the extracellular environment are essential for stimulation of cell growth and maintenance of differentiated function. Peptide growth factors form one subset of such components and epidermal growth factor (EGF) is one of the best-defined members of this class of growth regulatory substances. Many advances have been made in understanding mechanisms which underlie biological activities of EGF since it was first described by Stanley Cohen as a peptide present in nerve growth factor preparations that promoted early eyelid opening and tooth eruption in mice (1). Because physiological and cellular responses to EGF have been widely reviewed (2–6), this article emphasizes the role of EGF in regulating gene expression.
An Ethic of Interdependence: Environmental Crisis and the Case of Water Scarcity in the American West

This chapter explores how an ethic of interdependence informed by Buddhist principles and mindfulness practices may help us address environmental crisis. The case of water scarcity in the American West is used to outline how an individualistic ethic—characterized by individual rights, rugged individualism, individual lifestyle, and private interests—drives unsustainable environmental practices. The chapter next examines how an ethic of interdependence—characterized by systems thinking, interbeing, multiplicity in oneness, and the transitory nature of form—may shift our approach to water scarcity specifically and to environmental crisis more generally. Meditation helps us deepen our understanding and awareness of ethics. A water meditation, based on the characteristics of interdependence, is offered to deepen the understanding and awareness of an ethic of interdependence. Finally, possibilities for cultivating an ethic of interdependence are offered, and an ethic of interdependence is applied to other environmental crises including species extinction and climate change.
Regional identity and support for integration: An EU-wide comparison of parochialists, inclusive regionalist, and pseudo-exclusivists:

The rise of “new regionalism” is one of the most salient features of the post-Cold War international order. Despite the resurgence of regionalism in Europe, little consensus exists on how regional ...
Clodronate Does Not Alter Bone Remodeling in Young Horses

The bisphosphonate drug clodronate has been shown to treat diseases of abnormal bone remodeling (e.g., navicular disease) in horses, with the goal of systemically reducing osteoclast-mediated bone ...
Nanoforest-based SERS sensor fabricated using a maskless process for detecting chemical and pathogen

Nanoscale silicon forest-based surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) sensor was fabricated using a simple maskless Bosch process method. Silicon nanoforest was further coated with gold and grafted with silver-plate nanoparticles. Fabricated SERS sensor was then utilized to detect 106 CFU/ml Escherichia coli (E. coli), achieving Raman signal enhancement of ~ 106. Furthermore, by detecting a mixture of R6G and E. coli, multiplexed detection was successfully demonstrated. A series of numerical simulation was performed to study the enhancement factor of the fabricated SERS sensor, matching the experimental results. Due to the simplicity of the fabrication process and its cost-effectiveness, this type of nanoforest SERS sensor is a promising cartridge-type device for a hand-held Raman spectrometer microsystem for both qualitative and quantitative detection of bacterial/viral pathogens in the field of food microbiology.
The Effects of Disclosing Critical Audit Matters and Auditor Tenure on Investors’ Judgments

In an effort to provide more meaningful information to financial statement users, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) recently adopted sweeping changes to the audit report, requiring the audit firm to disclose whether or not it identified a critical audit matter (CAM) and its tenure with the client. To our knowledge, ours is the first study to explore how nonprofessional investors’ judgments are influenced by (1) the relative effects of a CAM disclosure versus a disclosure that the auditor did not identify a CAM, and (2) the disclosure of the audit firm’s tenure. We find that, relative to disclosing that no CAMs were identified, disclosing a CAM reduces investment intentions. We do not find a significant effect of tenure disclosure on investment intentions, despite evidence that participants attended to and understood the tenure manipulation. Concerning investors’ cognitive processes, we find that perceptions of both risk of material misstatement and management disclosure credibility mediate the effect of CAM disclosure on investment intentions, while perceived audit quality suppresses this effect. Our contributions include furthering the understanding of cognitive mechanisms through which CAM disclosure influences investment intentions, identifying a relatively unique setting in which perceptions of management disclosure credibility and audit quality move in opposite directions, and providing evidence that auditor tenure disclosure does not appear to affect investment intentions. Our findings should be of interest to regulators, auditors, issuers, and investors.
Controlling methacryloyl substitution of chondroitin sulfate: injectable hydrogels with tunable long-term drug release profiles

Drug delivery systems capable of local sustained release of small molecule therapeutics remain a critical need in many fields, including oncology. Here, a system to create tunable hydrogels capable of modulating the loading and release of cationic small molecule therapeutics was developed. Chondroitin sulfate (CS) is a sulfated glycosaminoglycan that has many promising properties, including biocompatibility, biodegradation and chemically modifiable groups for both covalent and non-covalent bonding. CS was covalently modified with photocrosslinkable methacryloyl groups (CSMA) to develop an injectable hydrogel fabrication. Utilizing anionic groups, cationic drugs can be adsorbed and released from the hydrogels. This study demonstrates the synthesis of CSMA with a varying degree of substitution (DS) to generate hydrogels with varying swelling properties, maximum injection force, and drug release kinetics. The DS of the synthesized CSMA ranged from 0.05 ± 0.02 (2 h reaction) to 0.28 ± 0.02 (24 h reaction) with a DS of 1 representing 100% modification. The altered DS resulted in changes in hydrogel properties with the swelling of 20% CSMA hydrogels ranging from 42 (2 h reaction) to 13 (24 h reaction) and injection forces ranging from 18 N (2 h reaction) to 94 N (24 h reaction). The release of sunitinib, an oncology therapeutic that inhibits intracellular signaling by targeting multiple receptor tyrosine kinases, ranged from 18 μg per day (2 h reaction) to 9 μg per day (24 h reaction). While decreasing the DS increased the hydrogel swelling and rate of therapeutic release, it also limited the hydrogel fabrication range to only those containing 10% or higher CSMA. Blended polymer systems with poly(vinyl alcohol)-methacrylate (PVAMA) were fabricated to stabilize the resulting hydrogels via attenuating the swelling properties. Release profiles previously unattainable with the pure CSMA hydrogels were achieved with the blended hydrogel formulations. Overall, these studies identify a method to formulate tunable CSMA and blended CSMA/PVAMA hydrogels capable of sustained release of cationic therapeutics over six weeks with applications in oncology therapeutics.
Buds Behind Bars: An Analysis of People v. Raybon

In 2019, the first and third California Appellate courts both decided cases examining the same issue: whether proposition 64 decriminalized marijuana possession in state correctional institutions. People v. Perry, from the first district, held that Prop 64 did not decriminalize and People v. Raybon, from the third district, held that Prop did decriminalize marijuana possession in correctional institutions. The cases presented two exceptionally similar arguments with opposite outcomes. This paper compares those arguments and predicts an outcome for People v. Raybon that is currently up for review in the California Supreme Court.
Vulnerability coverage as an adequacy testing criterion

Mainstream software applications and tools are the configurable platforms with an enormous number of parameters along with their values. Certain settings and possible interactions between these parameters may harden (or soften) the security and robustness of these applications against some known vulnerabilities. However, the large number of vulnerabilities reported and associated with these tools make the exhaustive testing of these tools infeasible against these vulnerabilities infeasible. As an instance of general software testing problem, the research question to address is whether the system under test is robust and secure against these vulnerabilities. This paper introduces the idea of ``vulnerability coverage,'' a concept to adequately test a given application for a certain classes of vulnerabilities, as reported by the National Vulnerability Database (NVD). The deriving idea is to utilize the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) as a means to measure the fitness of test inputs generated by evolutionary algorithms and then through pattern matching identify vulnerabilities that match the generated vulnerability vectors and then test the system under test for those identified vulnerabilities. We report the performance of two evolutionary algorithms (i.e., Genetic Algorithms and Particle Swarm Optimization) in generating the vulnerability pattern vectors.
Predicting Police Endorsement of Myths Surrounding Intimate Partner Violence

Police endorsement of IPV myths may adversely influence police responses where survivors feel stigmatized, invalidated, or blamed and thus, can limit victim participation and aggravate case attrition. Little research has focused on predictors of police IPV myth endorsement. The purpose of the present study was to assess police endorsement of IPV mythology and identify predictors of these myths, filling a gap in existing literature. 523 survey responses from police personnel commissioned at a large, urban police department in one of the fifth most populous and diverse US cities were employed to assess IPV myth endorsement and identify predictors of IPV myths. Univariate results demonstrated relatively low IPV myth endorsement. A multivariate ordinary least squares regression revealed that men, increased trauma misconceptions, and decreased perceptions of preparedness in responding to IPV were significantly associated with increased IPV myth endorsement. Future research should continue to examine police IPV myth endorsement in smaller, rural agencies and those departments with homogenous populations. Implications include the targeted hiring of women to increase representation and decrease collective myth endorsement. Augmented training to dismantle IPV myths and affirm trauma response may transform the culture of police agencies over time.
Development of the A-DISS rejection task to demonstrate the unique and overlapping affective features of social anxiety and depression.

Social anxiety (SA) and depression are prevalent, often comorbid disorders, associated with poor psychosocial functioning. Experimental psychopathology approaches can clarify the transdiagnostic mechanisms underlying these disorders, but most laboratory tasks are limited. We developed and validated the Audio-Dialogue Inductions of Social Stress (A-DISS) experimental task to model real-time rejection sensitivity in a realistic and developmentally relevant context. Participants are asked to imagine overhearing peers at a party talking badly about them (Rejection) or a teacher at their school (Neutral). Study 1 focused on identifying and refining stimuli that elicited relevant emotional responses for Rejection (e.g., increased anxiety) and Neutral (e.g., no emotional changes) conditions (N = 48). Study 2 examined whether participants’ SA and depression symptoms moderated the effects of A-DISS condition (N = 52). The Rejection condition elicited higher negative affect/lower positive affect while the Neutral condition sustained stable affect. Findings were consistent across gender and race/ethnicity. Moderation analyses were statistically significant; participants with elevated SA or depression reported feeling more rejected, insecure, and anxious after Rejection than those with below average symptoms. Findings provide preliminary validation of a novel peer rejection task for research on understanding the affective experience of real-time rejection overall, especially for those with elevated SA and depression. SA and depression symptoms each uniquely moderating the effects of Rejection exposure on similar affective states, suggests individuals with SA or depression may benefit from interventions targeting specific reactions to rejection/stress and transdiagnostic risk factors.
Evaluating the Mental Workload During Robot-Assisted Surgery Utilizing Network Flexibility of Human Brain

Mental Workload (MWL) is traditionally evaluated by psychophysiological signals using spectral analysis and event-related potentials. Robot-assisted Surgery (RAS) is a complex task that involves human-robot interaction, multitasking, quick and appropriate reactions to various stimuli and unforeseen circumstances, as well as frequent switches between surgical subtasks. There is a lack of standardized methodology for objectively monitoring a surgeon’s MWL during RAS. In this study, we propose an innovative framework, using dynamic functional brain network measurements and a deep convolutional neural network, to assess MWL. A model was developed and validated using Electroencephalogram (EEG) data from 22 trainees who performed basic surgical tasks, as well as four surgical fellows and an expert surgeon who carried out cystectomies and prostatectomies. The resulting accuracies of the MWL classification into low, intermediate and high were 93%, 89%, and 91% respectively. The proposed method can be used for continually monitoring mental workload levels in an objective fashion.
Wave resource characterization at regional and nearshore scales for the U.S. Alaska coast based on a 32-year high-resolution hindcast

Abstract A wave resource characterization was performed for the southern coast of Alaska based on a 32-year hindcast covering the period from 1979 to 2010. The characterization closely followed International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Technical Specifications. An unstructured-grid Simulating WAves Nearshore (SWAN) model, which had an approximate spatial resolution of 300 m within 30 km from the nearest shoreline, was developed. Extensive model validation and error characterization was performed. The model was found to perform well with an average absolute percent error of 8.6% in significant wave height, averaged over 18 buoys. Statistics for the six IEC wave resource parameters were calculated and aggregated at 20 km from shore to quantify the incident wave power and its variability at a regional scale. The southern coast of the Aleutian Archipelago was found to have the most available wave energy in the region. A nearshore resource assessment was performed by evaluating resource hotspots located 1 km from shore. More than 28% of the nearshore stations analyzed had an Optimum Hotspot Identifier value of at least 5 [kW/m] at diverse water depths, thereby positioning Alaska as a promising location for wave energy development.
Resource Review: Team+| Teams That Work. Online Learning Platform for Group Projects. www.teamplus.education By Iconic Learning Systems LLC Reviewed by A. S. Hinojosa, Howard University, (Amanda.hinojosa@howard.edu).

The TeamPlus platform is an online platform which helps to facilitate effective team processes. The platform facilitates several team building activities that help teams to improve communication, a...