cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Pilot Study of Opinion Summarization in Conversations

This paper presents a pilot study of opinion summarization on conversations. We create a corpus containing extractive and abstractive summaries of speaker's opinion towards a given topic using 88 telephone conversations. We adopt two methods to perform extractive summarization. The first one is a sentence-ranking method that linearly combines scores measured from different aspects including topic relevance, subjectivity, and sentence importance. The second one is a graph-based method, which incorporates topic and sentiment information, as well as additional information about sentence-to-sentence relations extracted based on dialogue structure. Our evaluation results show that both methods significantly outperform the baseline approach that extracts the longest utterances. In particular, we find that incorporating dialogue structure in the graph-based method contributes to the improved system performance.
Interpreting Interaction: The Classical Approach

This paper describes a variety of issues in the design and analysis of multiclinic trials, focusing in particular on the detection and interpretation of treatment-by-clinic interaction. First Fleiss, which represents the classical approach and covers such issues as pooling the data, fixed versus random effects, and the analysis of main effects in the presence of interaction, is reviewed. Next, different methods for distinguishing quantitative from qualitative interaction are reviewed, and the influence of scale transformations on the interpretation of interaction is discussed. Finally, nonparametric procedures for detecting treatment-by-center interaction are reviewed and the advantages of the Iman/Conover-type ranking procedure are described.
Embryogenesis in Dicotyledonous Plants

Embryogenesis in higher plants establishes the basic shoot-root body pattern, the primary tissue layers, and the meristematic zones of the plant. Continuous differentiation of the meristems is the basis of postembryonic development, the adult phase of the life cycle. Critical to this process is not only the pattern forming or morphogenetic events taking place mainly during early embryogenesis, but also a series of cellular and physiological processes which prepare the maturing embryo for dormancy and germination. Recent genetic and molecular studies in Arabidopsis and other model plants have begun to identify critical processes involved in higher plant embryogenesis. Likewise, Arabidopsis mutations defective in embryo structure or seedling viability are providing the tools for an analysis of molecular mechanisms responsible for dicot embryogenesis. One critical question is whether cellular interactions play a role in the formation of embryo pattern, or whether the nearly regular patterns of cell division observed in many species, including Arabidopsis, are a reflection of a lineage-dependent mode of cell specification. Analysis of mutations altering cellular patterns in Arabidopsis embryo indicate that cell-cell interactions most likely take place to establish cell and tissue layers. Further, there is evidence for inter-regional interactions to coordinate the overall development of the dicot embryo. However, differentiation processes based on the activity of cell-autonomous determinants may also operate particularly during the earliest zygotic divisions which establish the principal embryonic elements. A second major question concerns the specific gene regulatory mechanisms involved in initiating and maintaining differentiation programs within the developing embryo. These and other questions regarding the underlying processes that control dicot embryogenesis are only beginning to be answered using a combination of molecular and genetic tools.
Physicochemical fractionation of extracellular cornea-damaging proteases of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Abstract Fractionation of the culture supernatant fluids of a cornea-virulent strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by ammonium sulfate precipitation, diafiltration, isoelectric focusing, ion-exchange chromatography, gel filtration, and sucrose density gradient centrifugation failed to separate the rabbit cornea-damaging activity and the in vitro protease activity of the preparations. Three proteases having similar molecular weights (approximately 20,000) and isoelectric points of approximately 4.6, 5.8, and 8.8 were obtained free of detectable amounts of other known extracellular pseudomonal enzymes. Heating a mixture of the three proteases for 15 min at 80 C resulted in complete loss of protease and cornea-damaging activities. The sterile culture filtrate of a nonproteolytic but lethal toxin-producing strain of P. aeruginosa did not contain cornea-damaging activity. Cultivation of the proteolytic strain in broth containing 4.7% ammonium sulfate yielded a culture supernatant fluid free of protease and cornea-damaging activities. The results obtained support the conclusion that a cornea-virulent strain of P. aeruginosa can produce, in vitro, at least three different extracellular proteases capable of eliciting rapid and extensive damage to rabbit corneas.
Middle-ear development. IV. Umbo motion in neonatal mice.

Laser interferometry was used to measure umbo velocity in the developing BALB/c mouse middle ear at 133 pure-tone frequencies between 2.0 kHz and 40.0 kHz, all at a constant 100 dB sound pressure level. Umbo velocities increased with age across the entire frequency range, and reached adult-like levels by about 19 days between 2.0 and 22.0 kHz. Velocities at 28.0 and 34.0 kHz took 27 and 52 days respectively to reach adult-like levels. A simple middle-ear model utilizing compliance, resistance, and inertia elements matched the general trends of our velocity results and provided an indication of the anatomical basis for the growth in umbo velocity. The model suggested that velocity development at the lowest frequencies may be attributed to increases in tympanic membrane compliance. The model also indicated that both the frictional resistance of the middle ear and the inertia of the tympanic membrane and ossicles decreased during the growth period. At frequencies below 20.0 kHz, age-related increases in umbo velocity coincided with improvements in Nj1 thresholds recorded from the round window and evoked potential thresholds obtained from the cochlear nucleus. These results indicated that the functional development of the middle-ear plays a major role in the development of hearing in the mouse.
Deployment Testing of Flexible Composite Hinges in Bi-Material Beams

Composites have excellent properties for strength, thermal stability, and weight. However, they are traditionally highly rigid, and when used in deployable structures require hinges bonded to the composite material, which increases complexity and opportunities for failure. Recent research in composites has found by adding an elastomeric soft matrix, often silicone instead of an epoxy, the composite becomes flexible. This work explores the deployment repeatability of silicone matrix composite hinges which join rigid composite beams. The hinges were found to have sub-millimeter deployment repeatability. Also, an interesting creep effect was discovered, that a hinges deployment error would decrease with time.
Integrated Nanoantenna Labels for Rapid Security Testing of Semiconductor Circuits

We demonstrate a multi-spectral imaging technique that utilizes integrated nanoantenna labels to enable rapid mapping of the type and location of every logical gate in an integrated circuit, and thereby detect hardware tampering.
AN EGO STATE ANALYSIS OF THE A-B THERAPIST DISTINCTION

The therapist's characteristic which has received the most research attention over the past 25 years is the A-B therapist variable (4, 5 ) . They labeled certain therapists who were most successful working with schizophrenic patients A therapists and those least successful as B therapists. A therapists were characterized as being active, showing personal participation and having an ability to establish a trusting relationship in therapy. B therapists were said to show passive permissiveness, the use of inrerpretarion, and an instructional style. The present research was an attempt to understand the A-B therapist distinction from a Transactional Analysis ego-state point of view ( 3 ) . Subjects were 4 8 graduate students in an APA-approved clinical and an APA-approved counseling program. A-B status was determined by scores on the 46-item improved A-B scale ( 2 ) with scores above the median designating A type. The Gough Adjective Check List was scored according to procedures described by Thorne and Faro ( 3 ) to measure verbal descriptions of eight ego states. They are listed here with examples from their adjective scales: Free Child (curious, natural), positive Adapted Child (civilized, cautious), negarive Adapted Child (moody, forgetful), Adult (logical, organized), positive Nurturant Parent (helpful, understanding), negative Nurturant Parent (softhearted, unrealistic), positive Critical Parent (assertive, determined), and neg3rlve Critical Parent (bossy, demanding). A sex x type of therapist analysis of varlancc for each of these ego state scores resulted in two significant effects: A types scored at about the 60th percentile ( M 5.23, SD 5.83) on negative Adapted Child, while B types ( M 3 6 , SD 4.12) scored at approximately the 17th percentile ( R . u = 8.33, f i < .01). A types scored at the 61sr percentile on negative Nurturant Parent ( M 10.95, SD 3.49) while B rypes ( M 8.89, SD 3.57) scored at the 40th percentile (FI ,~ , = 5.95, fi < .O5). These ego states are the ones Thorne and Faro ( 3 ) said to be most highly related to pathology o n the hIhfPI. Since these ego state scores for our A therapists were elevated but nor extreme, they may indicate A types have a sensitivity co some inner turmoil of their own which makes them more able to emparhetically respond to the schizophrenic's disturbed behavior and perception. An explanation along these lines has been suggested ( 1 ) . However, from a Transactional Analysis point of view, the ego-state constellation of high negative Nurturant Parent and high negative Adapted Child suggests A types are likely to be "rescuers" who are overly supportive and do more for their patients than is useful or therapeutic in the long run. These results raise a question about the therapeutic effectiveness of A therapists. This point of view is consistent with prior work ( 2 ) showing, although A-B may be related to short-term improvernenr, there is little evidence that A types are likely to have a favorable long-range impact on schizophrenics.
Innovating for Emerging Markets: Novel Business Models to Supply Energy to the Rural Poor (Presentation Slides)

A quarter of the world’s population does not have access to electricity, and relies on expensive, hazardous, and polluting alternatives for basic needs such as lighting. A framework that combines perspectives from the strategy, entrepreneurship and organization science literature is used to analyse the business models of 47 organizations, which deliver modern energy services to this mostly poor, rural population. The research seeks to understand the marketing innovations and multi-level collaborations that theory suggests are essential for the success of social entrepreneurs. Vivid illustrations of such work are found. The data suggest that the returns associated with serving this population are low and multinational corporations play a small and indirect role. The poor also pay significantly more for basic energy services than the better-off. As such, even though the organizations studied are often more effective than the state at providing basic energy services, it is essential that state and non-state actors collaborate to deliver energy to the poor in manner than ensures greater efficiency and equity.
The behavioral regulation of thirst, water collection and water storage in honey bee colonies

This study investigated how a honey bee colony develops and quenches its collective thirst when it experiences hyperthermia of its broodnest. We found that a colony must strongly boost its water intake because evaporative cooling is critical to relieving broodnest hyperthermia, and that it must rapidly boost its water intake because a colony maintains only a small water reserve. We also clarified how a colony's water collectors know when to spring into action - by sensing either more frequent requests for fluid or greater personal thirst, or both. Finally, we found that the behavioral flexibility of a colony's water collectors enables them not only to satisfy their colony's current water needs but also to buffer their colony against future extreme water stresses by storing water in their crops and in their combs.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Mouse Brain

Publisher Summary Imaging techniques allow neuroscientists to visualize the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system. Based on the modalities used to detect signals, imaging techniques can be classified into different subcategories. Optical microscopy and electron microscopy are probably the two most widely used imaging modalities for studying the mouse brain. Since these detection methods are limited in terms of their depth of penetration into the tissue, histological sectioning of the tissue samples is necessary. Researchers can then apply specific stains to create contrasts in the plain tissue sections for visualizing structures of interest. Although histology and optical imaging provide good contrasts and resolution, and are used a great deal, it is sometimes preferable to acquire images without sectioning the tissue, or even in vivo, for certain studies. Imaging without sectioning can provide accurate information about tissue morphology, and in vivo imaging capability can benefit studies that involve stereotaxic operations in live animals, for instance, precise delivery of cells or drugs to specific regions in the brain. Two types of radiological imaging modalities: computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), are appropriate for these studies. These detection modalities can penetrate deep into tissues and there is no need for histological sectioning. With the increasing availability of high-field MR scanners in recent years, and improved radiofrequency coils now capable of small animal imaging, MRI is increasingly playing an important role in neuroscience studies. New, promising MR and related technologies are being actively developed, which could greatly facilitate neuroscience research. It is, therefore, important to understand and maximize the utility of MR-based tools.
Massive Data Analysis: Tasks, Tools, Applications, and Challenges

In this study, we provide an overview of the state-of-the-art technologies in programming, computing, and storage of the massive data analytics landscape. We shed light on different types of analytics that can be performed on massive data. For that, we first provide a detailed taxonomy on different analytic types along with examples of each type. Next, we highlight technology trends of massive data analytics that are available for corporations, government agencies, and researchers. In addition, we enumerate several instances of opportunities that exist for turning massive data into knowledge. We describe and position two distinct case studies of massive data analytics that are being investigated in our research group: recommendation systems in e-commerce applications; and link discovery to predict unknown association of medical concepts. Finally, we discuss the lessons we have learnt and open challenges faced by researchers and businesses in the field of massive data analytics.
Fundamental Mechanisms of Solvent Decomposition Involved in Solid-Electrolyte Interphase Formation in Sodium Ion Batteries

Prolonged decomposition of electrolytes forming a thick and unstable solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) continues to be a major bottleneck in designing sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). We have carried out quantum chemistry simulations to investigate the fundamental mechanisms of reduction-induced decomposition of electrolyte solvents in the vicinity of a sodium ion. Kinetics and thermodynamics of several reaction pathways for one- and two-electron reduction of ethylene carbonate (EC) have been examined. Our calculations indicate that the high reduction potential and low barrier for the ring opening of EC is the main cause for the continuous growth of SEI observed in SIBs. The impact of two well-known electrolyte additives, vinyl carbonate (VC) and fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC), on SEI composition was evaluated by studying decomposition pathways of (1) VC and FEC molecules in the bulk EC solvent and (2) an EC molecule in a supermolecular cluster comprising an EC and the additive molecule. The additive molecul...
E. H. Sturtevant, An Introduction to Linguistic Science: New Haven: Yale University Press, 1947. Pp. 173. $3.00.

(1948). E. H. Sturtevant, An Introduction to Linguistic Science. The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory: Vol. 23, No. 4, pp. 315-316.
The Collaborative Online Anime Community as Positive Social Updraft

In this chapter we present a case study of a young woman, Chloe,1 whose disruptive conduct at home led to a set of related diagnoses for chronic depression and anxiety, Asperger’s syndrome, Tourette’s syndrome, oppositional-defiance, and obsessive-compulsiveness, each presented to her and her family as a set of disabilities and disorders. Considered to be an outsider to the mainstream youth of her social surroundings due to the different orientation to the world that these conditions afforded her, she found an affirmational social setting through her engagement with the online anime community. When online with virtual, and eventually material friends she met through this medium, she was no longer constructed as odd and ill-fitting. Rather, her differences were understood by her peers as strengths, and she was recognized as a key contributor to the artistic and narrative worlds available online. This high degree of support provided Chloe with the positive social updraft that was largely unavailable to her in her daily life in school and at home.
Using abstract state machines to support UML model instantiation checking

UML is defined in terms of the four-level modeling architecture. The UML metamodel consists of informal description, class diagrams which are used to give the abstract syntax, and the well-formedness rules given in OCL. Furthermore, class diagrams have played an important role in software development because they provide basic information about a software system. In this paper, we propose a new method to support class diagrams based on Abstract State Machines. As an application of this method we will use a class diagram to represent OCL structure and therefore an OCL translator is generated. Based on the support of class diagrams and OCL, any user-defined UML model (M1-level), as an instantiation of the UML metamodel, can be compared against the UML metamodel. On the other hand, an object model (M0-level) can be checked based on the user-defined UML model (M1-level). Therefore, more errors can be reported to software developers during the early phase of software development.
TOO YOUNG TO HAVE A HISTORY? USING DATA ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES TO REVEAL TRENDS AND SHIFTS IN THE BRIEF HISTORY OF ACCOUNTING INFORMATION SYSTEMS

ABSTRACT Using several data-analysis techniques, this paper seeks to construct a brief history of Accounting Information Systems (AIS). In an effort to achieve some degree of comprehensiveness, thi...
Iron Catalyzed Hydroboration of Aldehydes and Ketones

We report an operationally convenient room temperature hydroboration of aldehydes and ketones employing Fe(acac)3 as precatalyst. The hydroboration of aldehydes and ketones proceeded efficiently at room temperature to yield, after work up, 1° and 2° alcohols; chemoselective hydroboration of aldehydes over ketones is attained under these conditions. We propose a σ-bond metathesis mechanism in which an Fe–H intermediate is postulated to be a key reactive species.
Successful surgical repair and recovery in a 2-week-old infant after birth-related cervical fracture dislocation.

Cervical spine injuries are the most common spine injuries in the pediatric population. The authors present the youngest known patient who underwent cervical spine fusion to repair birth trauma–induced cervical fracture dislocation, resulting in spondyloptosis and spinal cord injury. A 2-week-old boy was found to have spondyloptosis and spinal cord injury after concerns arose from reduced movement of the extremities. The patient’s birth was complicated by undiagnosed abdominal dystocia, which led to cervical distraction injury. At 15 days of age, the boy underwent successful C-5 corpectomy, with anterior C4–6 and posterior C2–7 arthrodesis, using an autologous rib graft for a C-5 fracture dislocation. MRI performed 2 weeks postoperatively revealed significant improvement in the alignment of the spinal canal. The patient was discharged from the hospital in a custom Minerva brace and underwent close follow-up in addition to occupational therapy and physical therapy. At the latest follow-up 4.5 years later, ...
State-of-the-art large area CVD MoS 2 based RF electronics

In this work we demonstrate state-of-the-art large area monolayer CVD M0S2 based RF transistors on both flexible and Si substrates. We report the highest RF performance (fT ∼ 5.9GHz and fmax ∼ 3.3GHz) among flexible MoS2 based thin film transistors. Our embedded gate CVD MoS2 transistors on CMOS compatible Si substrates shows record fT∼ 20GHz, fmax ∼ 11.4GHz, and saturation velocity vsat ∼ 1.88∗106 cm/s. We also present the design of MoS2 based RF circuits (GHz amplifier and flexible wireless AM receiver).
Peer mentoring professionalism among pre-service mathematics teachers: Safe spaces for community teaching practice

The study described here is a longitudinal qualitative case study conducted on a mathematics pre-service teaching program at a university in Southeast Asia. The university program of study required...
Holmium Laser Ablation of the Prostate

Abstract Since the first urologic uses in the 1980s, laser has become a core component of benign prostatic hyperplasia with mounting evidence of their advantages from treating patients on anticoagulants to improved postoperative recovery times. There are three categories of prostate surgery: ablation, resection, and enucleation. Here, the focus will be on the holmium laser in vaporizing or ablating the prostate as well as a review of literature findings on outcomes relative to the gold standard as well as to other novel methods. The holmium:yttrium aluminum garnet modality penetrates to a shallow tissue depth to vaporize tissue and is able to coagulate even deeper tissues through head conduction minimizing blood loss as well as shorten catheterization time and virtually eliminate postoperative dysuria. Although holmium laser ablation of the prostate requires longer operative times, the technique is highly adoptable and user-friendly compared to prostate enucleation.
A Low Tensor-Rank Representation Approach for Clustering of Imaging Data

This letter proposes an algorithm for clustering of two-dimensional data. Instead of “flattening” data into vectors, the proposed algorithm keeps samples as matrices and stores them as lateral slices in a third-order tensor. It is then assumed that the samples lie near a union of free submodules and their representations under this model are obtained by imposing a low tensor-rank constraint and a structural constraint on the representation tensor. Clustering is carried out using an affinity matrix calculated from the representation tensor. Effectiveness of the proposed algorithm and its superiority over existing methods are demonstrated through experiments on two image datasets.
Bearing Witness to Suffering: The Lived Experience of Nursing Students

This study explored the meanings of the lived experience of nursing students as they care for patients who are suffering. In this interpretive phenomenological study, 13 nursing students participated in conversational interviews and wrote narratives about their experiences of being with someone who was suffering. Embedded in the students' stories are the ways they came to understand suffering in the context of learning to practice nursing. The metatheme of bearing witness to suffering emerged from the analysis of the students' reflections. Bearing witness was exemplified with the subthemes of grappling with suffering, struggling with the ineffable, getting through, being with suffering patients, embodying the experience of suffering, and seeing possibilities in suffering. Bearing witness to suffering patients called students to an awareness of their own vulnerability. A concern for learning amid suffering was present throughout the students' texts. The call to care can be sustained through a pedagogy of suffering that acknowledges the need for support through a caring community.
Semiotic Interpretation in Trademark Law: The Empirical Study of Commercial Meanings in American English of {▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄} “Checkered Pattern”

In trademark law, commercial entities may assert a proprietary interest in images as well as words and sentences. No trademark may be “generic,” and even trademarked images have to mean something other than merely “a kind of thing.” Thus, a marketer of bananas could not prevent others from using all images of bananas in their advertising, though they could own a particular unique image of a banana (say, a blue one, half peeled). Thus, the use of “checkered patterns” (e.g., ▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄) in product marketing exemplifies how the semiotic sense of signs can be crucial in trademark litigation. Checkered patterns are widely used ornamentally in packaging and advertising, and the issue of the acceptability of a particular pattern as a legitimate trademark depends in part upon the relevant public’s ordinary analysis of the meaning of the pattern in relationship to the product being identified. The issue of genericness arises because the checkered pattern in itself has identifiable meanings that extend beyond that of particular products: legal and semiotic issues arise as to whether a particular checkered pattern will be understood as signifying (1) a particular brand of products and services or (2) the general class to which the product or service belongs.
Analyzing MEG Data with Granger Causality: Promises and Pitfalls

In this chapter we begin by introducing the basic idea of Granger causality and discussing its applications to local field potential data. We then proceed to comment on recent results of applying Granger causality to MEG data. Recognizing that Granger causality is frequently used to examine neural activity recorded during stimulus processing, we point out the adverse effects of the inevitable trial-to-trial variability of stimulus-evoked responses on Granger causality estimation. We end the chapter by discussing the future prospects of using Granger causality in basic and clinical neuroscience research.
MANURE/EFFLUENT MANAGEMENT | Systems Design and Government Regulations

Changes in economics and cultural practices have encouraged dairies to grow in size over the past several decades. Concentration of animals has increased concern over impairment of water, soil, and air quality. Federal and state regulations continue to evolve in an attempt to improve current practices and prevent future problems. Producers are challenged to keep up with changing regulations and assure that their operations are making a minimal impact. Care must be exercised in planning and managing operations in a manner that protects air, water, and soil quality, as some practices implemented to improve a particular problem may have a detrimental effect on another area. Water quality regulations are designed to prevent nutrients, pathogens, and organic matter from entering surface water by way of either a spill from a containment or overapplication of waste on agricultural lands. Emphasis has been placed on the regulation of large dairies, but all dairies must be proactive in preventing contamination of water as well as the air. Odors are a continual concern for animal production facilities. Little regulation has been developed to control odors at this point because of the difficulty of defining unacceptable odors, but nuisance lawsuits and potential future regulations provide a strong incentive to dairymen to seek solutions to odor problems.
Temperature-dependent structure and transport of ionic liquids with short-and intermediate-chain length pyrrolidinium cations

Abstract We report on an observed connection between the structural evolution and dynamics in a series of pyrrolidium-based ionic liquids. Temperature-dependent X-ray diffraction experiments were compared to viscosity and conductivity measurements for 1-alkyl-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([CnPyrr][Tf2N], n = 2, 3, 4, 6, 8). We find that the temperature evolution of the charge alternation peak in the structure factor, S(q), is consistent with intuitive order decoherence for shorter chain lengths, but anomalous for longer chain lengths. Structure data show that [C2Pyrr][Tf2N] behaves fundamentally differently than [C4Pyrr][Tf2N], [C6Pyrr][Tf2N] and [C8Pyrr][Tf2N] over the temperature range investigated with [C3Pyrr][Tf2N] behaving as an intermediate case. Both the conductivity and viscosity mirror these trends providing insight into the fundamental connection between structural ordering and dynamics in these liquids.
Marijuana Dispensaries and Neighborhood Crime and Disorder in Denver, Colorado

Beginning with Colorado and Washington State in 2012, longstanding bans on the sale, possession, and use of marijuana for recreational purposes have been overturned in nine states and the nation’s ...
A degenerate elliptic system with variable exponents

We study a degenerate elliptic system with variable exponents.Using the variational approach and some recent theory on weighted Lebesgue and Sobolev spaceswith variable exponents, we prove the existence of at least two distinct nontrivialweak solutions of the system. Several consequences of the main theorem are derived; in particular, the existence of at lease twodistinct nontrivial non-negative solutions is established for a scalar degenerate problem. One example is provided to showthe applicability of our results.
The Impact of Reprocessing Efforts on the Mid-Atlantic's Surface Current Product

The Mid-Atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System (MARACOOS) has undertaken a reprocessing effort for their 6-kilometer gridded surface current product which utilizes data from the network of long-range High Frequency (HF) radar systems. Radar data from January 2017 to December 2017 have been re-examined and reprocessed. It is worthwhile to consider how errors in the real-time processing may be corrected by reprocessing and what improvements may be realized in the total vector map product by such an effort.
Assessment of SPECT Systems Using Multiple Detector Technologies

Conventional SPECT systems, either rotating or stationary, are typically outfitted with a single type of detectors. The use of identical detectors simplifies design and reconstruction in these systems. However, when a single detector technology is used, all detectors suffer the same limitations, and image quality can only be improved through additional angular sampling, better collimation, or more optimal injection protocols. In this paper, we analyze the concept of utilizing two or more detector technologies during the same acquisition, and the potential impact on image quality of exploiting the benefits of each respective technology. There is always a tradeoff in designs between energy resolution, spatial resolution, sensitivity and count rate. A combination of SPECT technologies in a single system could reduce these limitations for a desired application. We have modeled a SPECT system with multiple detector technologies to compare it to systems with a single SPECT technology, but the same number of detectors. An analysis framework has been developed to explore the fundamental gains in performance that can be achieved when using multiple technologies and to study the implementation of image reconstruction with these datasets.
Epidemiologic trend of Serogroup Switching of Neisseria meningitidis Strains in Guangdong Province

Objective To analyze the trend of serogroup switching of Neisseria meningitides (N.meningitidis) strains in Guangdong Province.Methods 656 N.meningitidis strains,isolated from 1966 to 2009 in Guangdong Province were analyzed with constituent ratio.Results 447 N.meningitidis strains isolated from 1966 to 2001 were composed of serogroup A (22％),serogroup B(46％),serogroup C(6％) and other serogroup strains (26％); from 2002 to 2009,209 N.meningitidis strains were divided into four mainly groups,including serogroup A (28％),serogroup B (53％),serogroup C (13％) and other serogroup strains (6％).Proportion of N.meningitidis serogroup C strains isolated from invasive meningococcal cases increased from 0 to 22％,serogroup B strains increased from 15％ to 28％,meanwhile,serogroup A strains decreased from 85％ to 47％.Serogruop C strains from healthy carriers increased from 7％ to 11％,serogroup A increased from 9％ to 24％ and serogroup B increased from 53％ to 58％.Conclusion It has shown that proportion of serogroup C and serogroup B in N.meningitidis strains isolated either from invasive meningococcal cases and from healthy carriers had increasing trend.Serogroups of N.meningitidis were switching from A to B、C in Guangdong Province. Key words: Neisseria meningitidis; Serogroup; Switching
An experimentally validated model for microchannel condensers with separation circuitry

Abstract The experimental study on a microchannel condenser with the separation circuitry (or separation condenser) was conducted in the past by the same authors. The separation condenser has an inlet in the middle of the height, and vapor separates from the liquid in the second header after condensation in the 1st pass. This paper presents a condenser model that incorporates a mechanistic model developed to predict the phase separation efficiency in the second header. The 1-D finite-volume method is used. The condenser model is validated by condenser testing results using R134a. The mass flux through the first pass is in the range of 145–330 kg m−2 s−1. The difference between measurement and modeling result is ±5% for capacity and ±15% for pressure drop. The model reveals that other than the in-header fluid dynamics for the two-phase flow, the downstream flow resistance (a function of the air velocity) also influences the separation results in the second header, based on the equal pressure drops in the upper path and lower path. The model could be used for the design optimization for separation condensers, which will be presented in another study.
Drengr: Women’s Compression Performance Apparel

A collaborative partnership to investigate the increase usage of compression garments with women collegiate throwing athletes. Project was executed in three phases: (1)survey, (2) body scanning & prototype development, and (3) lab performance testing. Lab performance testing with motion capture indicated there was a significant performance enhancement in the throwing regiment when wearing the postural compression garment when compared to a control garment. This collaborative project produced an improved compression garment with research-backed performance enhancing benefits.
Fabricating spatially functionalized 3D-printed scaffolds for osteochondral tissue engineering

Three-dimensional (3D) printing of biodegradable polymers has rapidly become a popular approach to create scaffolds for tissue engineering. This technique enables fabrication of complex architectures and layer-by-layer spatial control of multiple components with high resolution. The resulting scaffolds can also present distinct chemical groups or bioactive cues on the surface to guide cell behavior. However, surface functionalization often includes one or more post-fabrication processing steps, which typically produce biomaterials with homogeneously distributed chemistries that fail to mimic the biochemical organization found in native tissues. As an alternative, our laboratory developed a novel method that combines solvent-cast 3D printing with peptide-polymer conjugates to spatially present multiple biochemical cues in a single scaffold without requiring post-fabrication modification. Here, we describe a detailed, stepwise protocol to fabricate peptide-functionalized scaffolds and characterize their physical architecture and biochemical spatial organization. We used these 3D-printed scaffolds to direct human mesenchymal stem cell differentiation and osteochondral tissue formation by controlling the spatial presentation of cartilage-promoting and bone-promoting peptides. This protocol also describes how to seed scaffolds and evaluate matrix deposition driven by peptide organization.
The rule of law and the role of courts

What role do courts play in advancing or upholding the political ideal that we call ‘the rule of law’? Does the rule of law require that courts should have authority over all other branches of government, including the legislature? And does it impose constraints on the sort of reasoning and decision-making that courts engage in? This article explores an array of possible answers to these questions, and considers the possibility that the ascendancy of courts in a constitution may represent a form of judicial supremacy that looks remarkably like the uncontrolled rule of men, which the rule of law is supposed to prevent. To preclude that possibility, it is particularly important for courts to recognize that their authority is limited in scope and that they should not be guided by any overall political program other than the program of seeing that constitutional constraints on government are upheld.
Volumetric imaging efficiency of multi-metasurface lenses

Flat lenses based on metasurfaces promise to shrink imaging systems. While volume of a flat lens is negligible, the light field must propagate through a sizeable volume of image space behind the lens to finally form an image. This constrains the opportunity to shrink imaging systems. We introduce a general metric the Volumetric Imaging Efficiency (VIE) and show it’s an effective tool to compare disparate lenses and technologies. We use the VIE to illustrate the trade space where flat lenses excel – short focal length, wide angle lenses. We quantify their performance against conventional bulk lenses and discuss challenges for scaling to longer focal lengths.
Truck cab suspension design: optimisation and vibration control

This paper addresses the cab suspension design and its dynamic performance when subjected to random road excitation conditions. The selected vehicle model is planar and includes a cab with two degrees of freedom, pitch and vertical displacement. The vehicle chassis and trailer are allowed to rotate about their respective axes. The cab suspension is modelled by a set of two linear springs and dampers. However, their coefficients are time variant and dependent on the objective functions and the constraints used. Based on the performance indexes used a suspension design strategy is proposed. The analytical investigation shows that the best driving comfort is obtained when both the angular and vertical acceleration of the cab are optimised. The objective of the cab suspension is two–fold: one objective is to improve ride quality, and the second is to minimise structure stress and fatigue. This paper addresses a comparative study of ride performance, by minimising the angular acceleration of the cab, its vertical displacement, velocity, acceleration, and its rate of change (jerk) using a constrained optimisation technique.
“Mythical Physicality” in the Work of Luis Barragan

“On Wednesday night, as they did every Wednesday, the parents went to the movies. The boys, lords and masters of the house, closed the doors and windows and broke the glowing bulb in one of the living room lamps. A jet of golden light as cool as water began to pour out of the broken bulb, and they let it run to a depth of almost three feet. Then they turned off the electricity, took out the rowboat, and navigated at will among the islands in the house.”1
How to go beyond the body: an introduction

Embodied cognition represents one of most important theoretical developments in contemporary cognitive science. Many cognitive processes appear to be influenced by body morphology, emotions, and sensorimotor systems. This perspective is supported by an ever increasing collection of empirical studies that fall into two broad classes: one consisting of experiments that implicate action, emotion, and perception systems in seemingly abstract cognitive tasks and the other consisting of experiments that demonstrate the contribution of bodily interaction with the external environment to the performance of such tasks. Now that embodied cognition is fairly well established, the time seems right for assessing its further promise and potential limitations. This research topic aimed to create an interdisciplinary forum for discussing where we go from here. Given that we have good reason to think that the body influences cognition in surprisingly robust ways, the central question is no longer whether or not some cognitive processes are embodied. Other questions have come to the forefront. To what extent are cognitive processes embodied? Are there disembodied processes? Among those that are embodied, how are they embodied? Is there more than one kind of embodiment? Is embodiment a matter of degree?
Improved inverse modeling for flow and transport in subsurface media: Combined parameter and state estimation

[1] Current approaches for inverse modeling (IM) to estimate flow and transport properties in subsurface media implicitly assume that uncertainty in the input-output representation of the model arises from uncertainty in the parameter estimates. However, uncertainties in the modeling procedure stem not only from uncertainties in the parameter estimates, but also from measurement errors, from incomplete knowledge of subsurface heterogeneity, and from model structural errors arising from the aggregation of spatially distributed real-world processes in a mathematical model. In this paper we present an improved concept for IM of subsurface flow and transport. Studies using interwell reactive tracer test data demonstrate that this new method, called Simultaneous Optimization and Data Assimilation, results in parameter estimates and model prediction uncertainty bounds which more closely mimic the properties of the subsurface. Most important is the finding that explicit treatment of input, output and model structural errors during IM, significantly alters the optimal values of the model parameters.
The expanding menagerie: animal models of hemophilia A.

See also Booth CJ, Brooks MB, Rockwell S, Murphy JW, Rinder HM, Zelterman D, Paidas MJ, Compton SR, Marks PW. WAG-F8m1Ycb rats harboring a factor VIII gene mutation provide a new animal model for hemophilia A. This issue, pp 2472–7.
Wideband integrated magnetooptic frequency shifter and modulator at X-band

A new wideband electronically tunable integrated optical frequency shifting scheme that utilizes noncollinear guided-wave magnetooptic (MO) Bragg diffraction from magnetostatic waves (MSWs) in a bismuth-doped yttrium-iron-garnet/gadolinium-gallium-garnet (YIG/GGG) waveguide. Constancy in the output angle of the frequency-shifted light beam, irrespective of the amount of frequency shift, is facilitated by synchronous tuning of the carrier frequency of the MSWs and the bias magnetic field by means of an electronic synchronizer. The device, operating at the optical wavelength of 1.302 mu m with carrier frequency centered at X-band, demonstrates desirable characteristics including large frequency shift, very large bandwidth, large dynamic range, and fast tuning speed. >
Structure and function of the RNA polymerase of vesicular stomatitis virus.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes some recent findings which have advanced the knowledge of the structure and function of the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. The transcription complex of VSV can be easily purified from virions by treatment with nonionic detergent, followed by centrifugation of the released ribonucleoprotein complex. Three polypeptide components constitute the transcription complex: N, L, and NS protein. The N protein is presumably an RNA-binding protein that remains associated with the genome RNA template during transcription and keeps the template inaccessible to RNase action. The L and NS proteins, on the other hand, carry out not only the transcription process, but also the posttranscriptional modifications of the newly synthesized RNA and possibly phosphorylation of the NS protein. The observed functional domains of the NS protein bear a remarkable resemblance to the recently discovered eukaryotic transcription activators and the chapter discusses this similarity. The chapter summarizes, from the information on the various functional domains of the VSV RNA polymerase subunits, a more definitive picture that emerges with regard to the interactions of L and NS proteins with each other and with the template, leading to transcription of the genome RNA.
Personal Assistance Services (PAS) for individuals with disabilities: self-care at the workplace.

Objective The intent of this investigation was to identify current definitions, issues, and strategies related to the use of Personal Assistance Services (PAS) in the workplace. Participants The participants were employees with disabilities who used PAS in the workplace as well as employers who participated in research studies over the past 20 years. Methods More than 30 articles were reviewed to determine PAS definitions, use, policies, and outcomes. A comprehensive search of bibliographic resources (e.g., EBSCOhost) was conducted to identify appropriate articles. Results The articles revealed current definitions of workplace PAS, demonstrated an increasing need for PAS, and highlighted fiscal and societal barriers to the full implementation of PAS at work. Conclusions The outcomes clarify the historical components, but also identify questions that remain. These questions concern the effectiveness of PAS, best practices for funding PAS, and the need for national and local policies to support the use of PAS for workers with disabilities.
Calorimetric analysis of mutagenic effects on protein-ligand interactions.

Publisher Summary Analysis of the effects of indirect T127→L mutagenesis on the thermodynamic changes in cooperativity of cAMP binding to cAMP receptor protein (CRP) has relied heavily on analysis of the structural changes induced in CRP by this mutation. This analysis results in the development of a structural model that best describes how the conformational changes induced by the T127→L mutation result in the observed thermodynamic changes in the cyclic nucleoside monophosphate (cNMP)–CRP binding interaction. The structural methods employed in this analysis of indirect mutagenesis effects included X-ray crystallography, small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), and circular dichroism (CD) measurements. Furthermore, it should be emphasized that this structural model offers an explanation based on the presently available structural and thermodynamic data about this system and could, thus, be changed as more experimental data about this intriguing system become available. Analysis of the effect of indirect mutagenesis on the thermodynamics of protein–ligand interactions involves development of a structural model to explain how mutations away from the binding site change the observed thermodynamics of the binding reaction: this is not as straight-forward as analysis of the effect of direct mutagenesis on the thermodynamics of protein–ligand interactions in terms of changes in the solvent-accessible surface areas at the binding site.