cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Association of Obesity and Cervical Cancer Screening: A Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis

Obese women are at an increased risk of death from cervical cancer, but the explanation for this is unknown. Through our systematic review, we sought to determine whether obesity is associated with cervical cancer screening and whether this association differs by race. We identified original articles evaluating the relationship between body weight and Papanicolaou (Pap) testing in the United States through electronic (PubMed, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library) and manual searching. We excluded studies in special populations or those not written in English. Two reviewers sequentially extracted study data and independently extracted quality using standardized forms. A total of 4,132 citations yielded 11 relevant studies. Ten studies suggested an inverse association between obesity and cervical cancer screening. Compared to women with a normal BMI, the combined odds ratios (95% CI) for Pap testing were 0.91 (0.80–1.03), 0.81 (0.70–0.93), 0.75 (0.64–0.88), and 0.62 (0.55–0.69) for the overweight and class I, class II, and class III obesity categories, respectively. Three out of four studies that presented the results by race found this held true for white women, but no study found this for black women. In conclusion, obese women are less likely to report being screened for cervical cancer than their lean counterparts, and this does not hold true for black women. Less screening may partly explain the higher cervical cancer mortality seen in obese white women.
Heteroblasty in Eucalyptus globulus (Myricales: Myricaceae) Affects Ovipositonal and Settling Preferences of Ctenarytaina eucalypti and C. spatulata (Homoptera: Psyllidae)

Heteroblasty describes plants whose juvenile and adult vegetative shoots differ morphologically. In Eucalyptus, heteroblasty is a common source of within-plant variation and an expression of ontogenetic aging that affects the within-tree distribution of psyllids. Using Eucalyptus globulus Labillardiere as a model system, we studied the reproductive behavior of adults of two Australian psyllid species (Ctenarytaina eucalypti Maskell and C. spatulata Taylor) on the glaucous, simple-shaped juvenile leaves and the glossy, sickle-shaped adult leaves under field conditions. We compared the ovipositional preferences and mating site preferences of the psyllids in caged pairs of juvenile and adult shoots, as well as the behavior of the psyllids after they landed on both types of shoots. Ctenarytaina eucalypti oviposited only on juvenile shoots and C. spatulata oviposited only on adult shoots. Ctenarytaina eucalypti mated primarily (88% of the time) on juvenile shoots, and C. spatulata mated only on adult shoots. After landing on both shoot types, C. eucalypti remained longer than C. spatulata on juvenile shoots, but C. spatulata remained longer than C. eucalypti on adult shoots. This is the first experimental evidence that heteroblasty in Eucalyptus affects insect reproductive behavior. These results are discussed in relation to subsequent studies on psyllid performance in this system that found that the epicuticular wax (present only on the juvenile leaves) plays a primary role in the preferences of these psyllid species for the juvenile versus adult shoots.
Systematic pan-cancer analysis of tumour purity

The tumour microenvironment is the non-cancerous cells present in and around a tumour, including mainly immune cells, but also fibroblasts and cells that comprise supporting blood vessels. These non-cancerous components of the tumour may play an important role in cancer biology. They also have a strong influence on the genomic analysis of tumour samples, and may alter the biological interpretation of results. Here we present a systematic analysis using different measurement modalities of tumour purity in >10,000 samples across 21 cancer types from the Cancer Genome Atlas. Patients are stratified according to clinical features in an attempt to detect clinical differences driven by purity levels. We demonstrate the confounding effect of tumour purity on correlating and clustering tumours with transcriptomics data. Finally, using a differential expression method that accounts for tumour purity, we find an immunotherapy gene signature in several cancer types that is not detected by traditional differential expression analyses.
Regulation and Function of Pollination-Induced Ethylene in Carnation and Petunia Flowers

In many flowers pollination accelerates ethylene biosynthesis and developmental changes observed during the natural senescence of unpollinated flowers. A burst of ethylene production from the stigma/ style is often the first detectable post-pollination event. We are interested in the nature of the pollen-pistil interaction that induces ethylene biosynthesis and the role of ethylene in triggering subsequent post-pollination phenomena including ovary development and senescence of the corolla. In carnations we have identified a pollination responsive ACC synthase that is up regulated by 1 hour after pollination in styles. We have demonstrated that the regulation of this gene by pollination is independent of ethylene action, but that ethylene action within the pollinated style is required to initiate subsequent post-pollination events in the ovary and petals. Using Petunia hybrida as a model we have shown that pollen-borne ACC is synthesized in the haploid pollen grain by a pollen specific ACC synthase gene. Using transgenic plants that fail to accumulate ACC in their pollen we have shown that pollination-induced ethylene production and ACC synthase mRNA accumulation in the style is not dependent on ACC in the pollen grain. With the identification of pollination responsive ACC synthase genes and the use of pollen that is deficient in potential elicitors it should be possible to identify the primary pollination signal in Petunia and carnation flowers.
Discovery of a spawning ground reveals diverse migration strategies in Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus)

Atlantic bluefin tuna are a symbol of both the conflict between preservationist and utilitarian views of top ocean predators, and the struggle to reach international consensus on the management of migratory species. Currently, Atlantic bluefin tuna are managed as an early-maturing eastern stock, which spawns in the Mediterranean Sea, and a late-maturing western stock, which spawns in the Gulf of Mexico. However, electronic tagging studies show that many bluefin tuna, assumed to be of a mature size, do not visit either spawning ground during the spawning season. Whether these fish are spawning in an alternate location, skip-spawning, or not spawning until an older age affects how vulnerable this species is to anthropogenic stressors including exploitation. We use larval collections to demonstrate a bluefin tuna spawning ground in the Slope Sea, between the Gulf Stream and northeast United States continental shelf. We contend that western Atlantic bluefin tuna have a differential spawning migration, with larger individuals spawning in the Gulf of Mexico, and smaller individuals spawning in the Slope Sea. The current life history model, which assumes only Gulf of Mexico spawning, overestimates age at maturity for the western stock. Furthermore, individual tuna occupy both the Slope Sea and Mediterranean Sea in separate years, contrary to the prevailing view that individuals exhibit complete spawning-site fidelity. Overall, this complexity of spawning migrations questions whether there is complete independence in the dynamics of eastern and western Atlantic bluefin tuna and leads to lower estimates of the vulnerability of this species to exploitation and other anthropogenic stressors.
What’s Left of the Obama Presidency and Change Politics

The inauguration of Barack Obama as First Black President of the United States was an enormously exciting time, which was faced by African Americans with trepidation, excitement and fear. The Obama administration has accomplished a great deal in the passage of legislation aimed at stabilizing the economy, the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act in March 201'8 etc., but after the 2010 Elections the conflict with the Republican controlled House over a balanced budget, debate about spending and taxing priorities, and the continued stalled economy has framed a number of questions about the Obama administration’s accomplishments. Simultaneously, the rise of the Tea Party, and the emphasis on the legitimacy of the President’s birthplace by the ‘Birthers’ have offered critiques of his legitimacy, both as citizen and as President. He has also faced challenges from Black political spokesman, among them Tavis Smiley and Cornel West, who raised the question as to whether the President has carried out his responsibilities in addressing ‘The Black Agenda’, that is public policy concerns of interest to African Americans. So as the President Obama faces his 2012 re-election campaign, this is a good time to begin to assess his Presidency, what he has accomplished. Secondly what does he have to propose to the Nation and to his constituencies in his campaign for re-election. In his efforts at stabilizing the national economy, taking on the War on Terror, and in setting international policy, to what extent has he taken on a role that represents conventional US policy, and reiterates Colonial patterns of American foreign policymaking rather than one that confronts it. This paper will attempt to evaluate the Obama administration’s range of accomplishment in domestic and foreign policy; and will take account of the partisan shifts that have occurred in reaction to the Obama Presidency. It will be perilous to do so, but I will evaluate the likelihood of President Obama’s chances for re-election. Finally the paper will discuss the constituency support issues that have made the administration’s efforts more challenging.
Attenuation of GPR signal to detect variation in mineral concentration

NASA’s plan to build a base on the Moon necessitates employing a vital lunar resource to support life in the base due to the high cost of transportation and logistics. Ilmenite is believed to be one of the best performing minerals to serve the need. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) can be utilized to detect Ilmenite within lunar regolith due to its significant metal content. GPR capability was tested in a prototype laboratory experiment to detect Ilmenite. A small lens of powdered Ilmenite buried in fine grain silica rich sand showed prominent reflection characteristics to the electromagnetic waves. The proceeding step for a feasible mining operation requires detecting the highest possible concentrations of Ilmenite within a survey area. The electromagnetic waves transmitted from an antenna are modified within the host medium due to the changes in mineralogy and chemistry. Therefore, the change in reflected back energy of the electromagnetic waves can be indicative of the change in concentration of the Ilmenite. The reflected energy of the GPR signal was used to provide information about the variation in concentration of the Ilmenite. In order to test the feasibility of the methodology, a full size field survey in Mineral Springs, Arkansas was conducted. The site is known to have variable concentrations of Ilmenite.
Explaining Variations in Bailout Policies: A Review of Cornelia Woll's the Power of Inaction

In The Power of Inaction: Bank Bailouts in Comparison (Cornell Univ. Press, 2014), Professor Cornelia Woll asks a question of fundamental importance: "What was the nature of power [that] finance wielded over the fate of the economy and the crisis management in 2008, which affected the lives of so many?" To measure the effective power that the financial industry wielded during the crisis, Woll compares the terms of bailout programs that governments adopted in six countries. She contends that financial institutions were more likely to receive larger amounts of public support, and to make minimal contributions to rescue plans, in nations where the financial industry's influence satisfied three important factors.The first two factors identified by Woll are "structural power" (the financial industry's influence resulting from the economy's degree of dependence on the industry) and "productive power" (the financial industry's ability to exploit its structural power by wielding political influence to secure favorable public policies). The third factor in Woll's analysis is the power of "collective inaction" -- namely, the financial industry's ability to refuse to contribute to the cost of rescuing failing banks and to force the government to use public funds to accomplish the necessary bailouts. Woll examines government bailout policies in three pairs of case studies (the United States and the United Kingdom, Germany and France, and Denmark and Ireland). She argues that the most important factor in determining whether the financial industry was able to refuse to act collectively (and thereby shift the cost of bailouts to the government) was whether the largest financial institutions were relatively strong and therefore did not need to depend on public support for their survival.We concur with Professor Woll's three-factor analysis. We also agree that the relative health of leading financial institutions is a significant factor that affects the financial industry's ability to pursue a strategy of "collective inaction" and refuse to contribute to the cost of government bailouts. However, we believe that the financial industry's political clout is the most important factor in determining whether the industry can successfully resist the government's call for collective action. In the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Ireland, we contend that major financial institutions avoided contributing to government rescue plans primarily because of the political influence they wielded.
349 DETERMINANTS OF URINARY CALCIUM AND URIC ACID EXCRETION IN CHILDREN AFTER RENAL TRANSPLANTATION.

Excess urinary calcium and uric acid excretion predispose patients to problems such as hematuria and nephrolithiasis. The natural history of and risk factors for hypercalciuria (HC) and hyperuricosuria (HU) have not been studied in the pediatric renal transplant population, which may be at greater risk of complications related to these abnormalities. The purpose of our study was to define the prevalence of HC and HU after renal transplantation (Tx) and to determine independent predictors of urinary calcium and uric acid excretion. Twenty-five consecutive pediatric patients who had renal transplants performed at our center were serially studied between 1 and 12 months after Tx. Demographic data and data on the random urinary calcium to creatinine ratio (Uca/cr) and uric acid excretion were collected. Data were analyzed using the S-PLUS software. Simple descriptive statistics and the multivariable mixed effects general linear model were used for data analysis. Statistical significance was set at a p value 95th percentile for age) and HU (urinary uric acid > 0.57 mg/dL glomerular filtration rate [GFR]) was 16% and 20% respectively at 1 month and 11% for each at 12 months. The mixed effects general linear model demonstrated male gender to be the only (negative) predictor of the Uca/cr (p = .0218) and for HC (p = .0372). GFR was the only predictor for urinary uric acid excretion (p
225 GRANULOCYTE-MACROPHAGE COLONY-STIMULATING FACTOR RECEPTORS ARE EXPRESSED IN RAT LUNG EPITHELIUM AND ARE DECREASED BY CHRONIC ETHANOL INGESTION.

Chronic alcohol abuse predisposes individuals to pneumonia and increases the risk ˜4-fold of developing the acute respiratory distress syndrome. Although it has been recognized for decades that alcohol abuse impairs alveolar macrophage function, we have more recently shown that alcohol abuse also causes previously unrecognized severe redox stress and alveolar epithelial dysfunction. Recently, we determined that chronic ethanol ingestion in a rat model decreases alveolar macrophage expression of the receptor for granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and decreases downstream expression of the master transcription factor PU.1 that ultimately transduces GM-CSF signaling necessary for macrophage function. Remarkably, treatment with recombinant GM-CSF in vivo restored GM-CSF receptor expression, PU.1 nuclear binding, and phagocytic function in the alveolar macrophages of ethanol-fed rats. It has been assumed that GM-CSF receptor expression, and signaling via PU.1, is restricted to hematopoietic cells. However, we determined that GM-CSF treatment also restored alveolar epithelial barrier function, in both in vivo and in vitro model systems, suggesting that the GM-CSF receptor, and perhaps PU.1, is expressed in this "nonhematopoietic " cell type. To test this speculation we analyzed gene and protein expression of PU.1 and of the GM-CSF receptor (both the GM-CSFRa and GM-CSFRb subunits), as well as PU.1 nuclear binding, in freshly isolated alveolar epithelial type II cells from rats 6 ethanol ingestion for 6 weeks. We found that type II cells expressed GM-CSFRa, GM-CSFRb, and PU.1 by PCR. Further, both GM-CSFRa and GM-CSFRb proteins were expressed in type II cells as determined by flow cytometry, and PU.1 protein was expressed as determined by Western blot and EMSA. Importantly, ethanol ingestion decreased cellular expression of both GM-CSFRa and GM-CSFRb protein and decreased both PU.1 protein expression and nuclear binding. Finally, we surveyed the entire airway epithelium by immunohistochemistry using antibodies to both GM-CSFRa and GM-CSFRb in rat tracheal, bronchial, and alveolar epithelia. We determined that both GM-CSFRa and GM-CSFRb are expressed throughout the airway epithelium. In summary, we report for the first time that the lung epithelium expresses GM-CSF signaling components and that chronic ethanol ingestion impairs their expression. We speculate that alcohol abuse disrupts lung epithelial (and macrophage) function by dampening GM-CSF signaling, thereby rendering alcoholics more susceptible to acute lung injury as well as pneumonia.
Comparative evaluation of vitamin D_2 and vitamin D_3

Vitamin D is an important drug for treating rickets in children.Most commonly used oral formulations of vitamin D are ergocalciferol(vitamin D_2) and cholecalciferol(vitamin D_3).Both vitamin D_2 and D_3 are considered having equivalent clinical efficacy.This review describes vitamin D_2 and vitamin D_3 in terms of efficacy,clinical application and administration pathway.
The study on the paint removal from the metal base with nanosecond laser pulse

Laser paint stripping has great potentialities in industries due to its high efficiency,simple operation,light pollution and low cost.The thermodynamic of the paint ablation on the metal substrate with nanosecond laser pulse is researched.The studies show that the temperature of the paint layer and mental substrate will rise up when nanosecond laser pulse irradiate paint,the temperature of paint is only about 200 K,while the metal is about 3000 K.Under such condition,the paint can not be removed only with heat effect of laser ablated.But the laser plasma with high temperature and pressure can be produced due to the high temperature of metal substrate.The plasma shock wave can expand outward,which can remove the paint from the metal substrate effectively.It was indicated from the studies of the morphology that the paint removal is mainly due to the expansion of the laser plasma,rather than the laser ablation.
Diagnosis of Barrett’s Esophagus

Barrett’s esophagus is a condition in which normal stratified squamous epithelium of the esophagus is replaced with columnar epithelium. It is the primary precursor lesion for esophageal adenocarcinoma and is thought to progress in a stepwise manner from metaplasia through increasing grades of dysplasia to adenocarcinoma. Diagnosis requires the combination of endoscopic evaluation and histopathological assessment of biopsies taken at the time of endoscopy. There is international disagreement regarding the histologic definition and the requirement of goblet cells in biopsies. This chapter reviews the current histologic and endoscopic definitions of Barrett’s esophagus and controversies surrounding them. Recent advances in endoscopic imaging will also be reviewed as they may improve the diagnosis and management of Barrett’s esophagus in the future.
Balancing technical and user objectives in the redesign of a peruvian cookstove

Abstract Over the past decade a large amount of research has been dedicated in academic literature to improving the technical capabilities of improved cookstoves; primarily the performance efficiency and reduction of emissions. Unfortunately, as published literature has highlighted, the trade-offs that result from placing such a concentrated emphasis on these technical objectives is that improved cookstoves lack the same level of usability as the traditional cookstoves. Thus, users often return to using their traditional stoves and the potential impact of the improved cookstoves is never fully realized. In order for improved cookstoves to have greater impact, there must be better balance between the two competing design objectives of technical capabilities and usability. This paper explores the challenges and benefits associated with achieving the appropriate balance, and demonstrates its application through the modification of a traditional cookstove used in the Tambogrande region of Peru. This modification includes an inexpensive set of pot skirts that integrate directly with the traditional stove. These pot skirts allow for varying sizes and number of pots, and the use of traditional fuels. Laboratory testing, using the Water Boiling Test (WBT), identified the skirts' technical improvements: 41.7% increased thermal efficiency, 32.7% decreased fuel consumption, 28.8% decreased time to boil. Field testing was performed to determine the pot skirts acceptance and compatibility with the traditional cookstoves, with over 75% of the participants recognizing some type of benefit. Although the technical improvements of these pot skirts are less than other cookstoves on the market, the higher levels of usability are likely to lead to a more positive end-user reaction, which could potentially lead to higher rates of adoption and impact. Though these results are primarily focused on the application of improved cookstoves, the need for more balance between technical and user objectives is applicable to nearly all products being designed for the developing world.
Reactive Nitrogen Species Emission Trends in Three Light-/Medium-Duty United States Fleets

Repeated, fuel-specific, emission measurements in Denver (2005/2013), Los Angeles (LA) (2008/2013), and Tulsa (2005/2013) provide long-term trends in on-road reactive nitrogen emissions from three light-/medium-duty U.S. fleets. Reductions in oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions ranged from 21% in Denver (from 5.6 ± 1.3 to 4.4 ± 0.2 g of NOx/kg of fuel) to 43% in Tulsa (from 4.4 ± 0.3 to 2.5 ± 0.1 g of NOx/kg of fuel) since 2005, while decreases in fleet ammonia (NH3) emissions ranged from no change in Denver (from 0.45 ± 0.09 to 0.44 ± 0.02 g of NH3/kg of fuel) since 2005 to a 28% decrease in LA (from 0.80 ± 0.02 to 0.58 ± 0.02 g of NH3/kg of fuel) since 2008. The majority of the reduction in gasoline vehicle NOx emissions occurred prior to the full implementation of the Tier II emission standards in 2009. High in-use NOx emissions from small-engine diesel passenger vehicles produced a significant contribution to the fleet means despite their small numbers. NH3 emissions decreased at a slower rate than NOx...
Predicting Word Reading Ability: A Quantile Regression Study.

Predictors of early word reading are well established. However, it is unclear if these predictors hold for readers across a range of word reading abilities. This study used quantile regression to investigate predictive relationships at different points in the distribution of word reading. Quantile regression analyses used preschool and kindergarten measures of letter knowledge, phonological awareness, rapid automatised naming, sentence repetition, vocabulary and mother’s education to predict ﬁrst-grade word reading. Predictors generally varied in signiﬁcance across levels of word reading. Notably, rapid automatised naming was a signiﬁcant unique predictor for average and good readers but not poor readers. Letter knowledge was generally a stronger unique predictor for poor and average readers than good readers. Well-known word reading predictors varied in signiﬁcance at different points along the word read- ing distribution. Results have implications for early identiﬁcation and statistical analyses of reading-related outcomes.
Hip Disease Etiologies: Trauma

Traumatic athletic injuries to the hip range from the less common cases of instability and fractures to the more common soft tissue and avulsion injuries. The focus of this chapter is the diagnostic evaluation of the many athletic hip injuries, as well as a description of the operative and nonoperative treatment of such injuries.
A SCALE-UP Mock-Up: Comparison of Student Learning Gains in High- and Low-Tech Active-Learning Environments

Student-centered learning environments with upside-down pedagogies (SCALE-UP) are widely implemented at institutions across the country, and learning gains from these classrooms have been well documented. This study investigates the specific design feature(s) of the SCALE-UP classroom most conducive to teaching and learning. Using pilot survey data from instructors and students to prioritize the most salient SCALE-UP classroom features, we created a low-tech "Mock-up" version of this classroom and tested the impact of these features on student learning, attitudes, and satisfaction using a quasi--experimental setup. The same instructor taught two sections of an introductory biology course in the SCALE-UP and Mock-up rooms. Although students in both sections were equivalent in terms of gender, grade point average, incoming ACT, and drop/fail/withdraw rate, the Mock-up classroom enrolled significantly more freshmen. Controlling for class standing, multiple regression modeling revealed no significant differences in exam, in-class, preclass, and Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology Concept Inventory scores between the SCALE-UP and Mock-up classrooms. Thematic analysis of student comments highlighted that collaboration and whiteboards enhanced the learning experience, but technology was not important. Student satisfaction and attitudes were comparable. These results suggest that the benefits of a SCALE-UP experience can be achieved at lower cost without technology features.
The Speculative Growth Paradigm in the History of Phoenix

This chapter presents a history of Phoenix, Arizona, from initial settlement to the present day with a thematic emphasis on the ways in which the city’s economy has been imposed by distant sources of capital, labor, and ideas rather than self-generated. The strong influence of local growth boosters in the continued expansion of the city is reviewed to show how the attraction of outside investment and the promotion of private interests have been paired throughout Phoenix’s history. The reliance on non-local capital investment for the majority of the city’s basic infrastructure and employment opportunities illustrates the tenuous sustainability of Phoenix’s historical trajectory. The importance of property speculation, often paired with fraudulent schemes or political economic clout, for the historical process of land development is emphasized in particular to show the lack of transparency and public control over urban land use. Development policies that privilege the exchange valuation of property and strong individual property rights have arisen in this historical milieu and have become deeply embedded in current land policy structures as well as in the socio-economic expectations surrounding land use. Such policies and practices are based on an implicit endorsement of perpetual urban growth as well as a particular vision for suburban, auto-dependent environments, both of which present challenges to emergent notions of urban sustainability based on locally generative economies and dense infill development.
Concurrent mining and reclamation for underground coal mining subsidence impacts in China

Large scale underground mining of coal resources in China using longwall mining has resulted in ecological and environment problems, including surface subsidence that is considered serious due to competing interests of prime agricultural lands, food security, and regional economic development. The subsided lands must be rehabilitated soon after mining to be agriculturally productive to minimize loss of farmland. Similarly, precious water resources must also be managed during and after mining to protect this natural resource. Toward these goals, the concept of “Concurrent mining and subsidence reclamation (CMR)” was proposed by Professor Hu of the China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing (CUMTB). Over the last two decades CMR concepts have evolved and successfully applied in the field in different parts of China. This innovative technology has increased available farmland during the mining process, and provided better land protection and food security in mining areas even with high groundwater table. The technology has been used in 5 of the 14 large coal bases in China. This paper describes the technology concepts, design and guiding principles for planning with two case studies from different regions to enhance its application both in China and in other countries.
Control of sampling rate in map-based models of spiking neurons

Abstract The discrete-time (map-based) approach to modeling nonlinear dynamics of spiking activity in neurons enables highly efficient numerical simulations for capturing realistic neurobiological behavior by utilizing a large time interval between computed states (samples) of neuron activity. The design and parameter tuning of these models assumes a fixed and preset sampling rate. When change of the time step is needed, it requires revisiting stages of the model design and parameter tuning. This paper presents an approach to the design of map-models in a new form where time step is added as a control parameter and can be easily changed to vary the time scale of the model behavior, i.e. sampling rate, essentially preserving the model behavior. It also discusses modification of the noise generator models needed to support simulation of map-based neurons with the modified sampling rate. The effects caused by direct control of time scale on model dynamics and limitations of this approach are discussed.
Sightseeing at Colonus: Oedipus, Ismene, and Antigone as Theôroi in Sophocles' Oedipus at Colonus

This paper examines the appearance of theoria (sacred sightseeing) as metaphor in Sophocles9 Oedipus at Colonus. Once Oedipus arrives in Colonus, the local site on the outskirts of Athens becomes, in effect, theoric space, as travelers converge upon the site, drawn there to visit the old man, whose narrative is known to all Greeks. Oedipus, as panhellenic figure, serves simultaneously as spectacle and theoros (sightseer), attaining inner vision as he goes to his death at the end of the play. Oedipus offers salvation ( soteria ) to Athens within the logic of the play, but in order to confer benefits upon Athens, he requires the travel and vision of his daughters, Antigone and Ismene, who serve as supplementary theoroi . The essay concludes with a glance at outsiders-as-saviors in Oedipus at Colonus and beyond, with an emphasis on the contribution of female travelers to soteria in classical Athenian drama.
A useful communication in brain-computer interfaces

An early goal for brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) is to provide people with tetraplegia and severe speech impairments with a restored ability to communicate, using only brain signals to drive a computer interface. The most extensively researched BCIs are those that use scalp-based EEG recordings; over the past 30 years, these EEG-BCIs have been developed and tested with both healthy, uninjured people and people with paralysis (e.g., due to ALS).1,2 While there have been many reports of single or a few individuals with paralysis who have used EEG-BCIs for communication, formal clinical trials for efficacy have been missing.
Using eye-tracking to test and improve website design

In developing a website, it is essential to test its design. For example, users may look at a certain image or text paragraph without paying attention to what designers may consider being the most essential information or the users may erroneously interpret its design and get confused. If users don't interact with the website as designers anticipate, the design of website becomes dubious. In our eye-tracking study we invited 11 undergraduate students from an introductory chemistry course to test the usability of newly developed website on climate change. The results show that animated features draw more attention regardless of strength of relationship to content. Based on quantitative and qualitative data, we present possible recommendations how to improve the design of the website and how to enhance user's overall experience.
Ceremonial Site Locations, Descriptions, and Bibliography

This chapter familiarizes the reader with each of the 52 Ohio Hopewellian mound and earthen enclosure ceremonial sites coded in the HOPEBIOARCH data base. The geographic locations of the sites, overviews of their contents, maps of their layouts, general assessments of the quality of available information on the sites, and bibliographic and curatorial information are presented. The chapter is complemented by the next, Chapter 8, which defines the variables that are used in the HOPEBIOARCH data base to describe the burials and ceremonial deposits within the 52 sites. Together, the two chapters familiarize the reader with the data base—its observations and variables, rows and columns.
Cognitive Predictors of Relational and Social Bullying, Overt Aggression, and Interpersonal Maturity in a Late Adolescent Female Sample

In this study, we wished to examine the potential relationships between the skills measured by an individually administered standardized measure of cognitive ability and a self-report measure of indirect bullying, overt aggression, and prosocial skills. Therefore, a sample of 106 female students were recruited from a private, faith-based university located in an urban setting in the mid-Atlantic region of the USA (US; M = 19.34 years; 84.9% White) to investigate the relationships between cognitive variables and interpersonal behavior. Multiple regression analyses revealed that participants’ performance on a Verbal Comprehension subtest significantly predicted their self-reported prosocial skills, with their Visual-Auditory Learning–Delayed skills enhancing this prediction. Additionally, in this sample, females’ Visual Matching skills were significantly predictive of overt aggression. However, despite the researchers’ hypotheses to the contrary, no cognitive skills were found to significantly predict forms of relational and social bullying. Implications of these findings for research and practice are discussed.
Family Ties: Embodiment of Female Laborers in the Poetry of Indenture

Chapter 5 focuses on the poetry of indenture and examines the work of five contemporary authors: Guyanese poets Rajkumari Singh, Mahadai Das, and David Dabydeen; Jamaican poet Easton Lee; and Trinidadian poet Lelawattee Manoo-Rahming. Woven through their poems are images of the female ancestors who voyaged to the Caribbean under indenture, particularly images of their bodies: eyes, feet, foreheads, and wombs. For Das and Singh, who wrote in the 1970s, this focus on the body demonstrates anti-colonial, nationalistic sentiments, while for Dabydeen, Lee, and Manoo-Rahming, whose poems were published in 1988, 1998, and 2000, respectively, the emphasis on the body shows a sense of displacement. Poems written by Rajkumari Singh and Mahadai Das in the early, still hopeful days of Guyanese independence, draw attention to the colonial view of female migrants as mere bodies, useful for labor or sexual gratification, but also celebrate the fertile possibilities of the people and the land. That they do so through the metaphor of Indo-Guyanese women’s capacity for reproduction is at times problematic. In contradistinction, for authors David Dabydeen and Lelawattee Manoo-Rahming, writing in the wake of violent and dictatorial political movements in Guyana and Trinidad, the sense of hopefulness has dissipated. These authors, disillusioned by the political upheaval and autocratic regimes that followed independence, seek to reembody their ancestors as way of grounding themselves, finding a connection to the land of their birth by strengthening a sense of lineage. Tracking the images of the female laborer across decades, we thus see a move away from the often-problematic nationalist sentiments and toward a poetics of kinship.
Problem secesji Tajwanu w debacie politycznej na Szczycie Xi-Ma. Implikacje dla stosunków w Cieśninie Tajwańskiej

Taiwan commands the world’s attention because of the geopolitics that enables the island to play a role bigger than its size. Democracy and secessionist movements that came hand in hand since the 1980s in Taiwan have further complicated matters, leading to a level of chaos and decline of competitiveness in Taiwan’s once-vibrant economy. Cross-Strait relations have greatly improved but the situation remains an “unstable peace,” to use the terminology of the Lund Curve, because of the existence of an independence-leaning coalition and its constituents. Although considerable trade and tourism have linked the two sides and direct negotiations have produced 23 agreements, political and security ties remain sensitive. China’s chief goal remains national reunification, while the majority of Taiwanese voters tend to favor the status quo. This paper discusses a unique two-host phenomenon in Taiwan’s secessionist movement, nonexistent in other similar movements. It traces President Ma Ying-jeou’s approach to cross-Strait relations, explaining reasons that led to Ma’s unprecedented summit with his counterpart Xi Jinping. Without understanding the concept of the two hosts, it would be impossible to make sense of the extraordinary reconciliation, epitomized in the Xi-Ma handshake.
Analysis of case study presenting ground anchor load-transfer response in shale stratum

This paper presents the analysis of the instrumentation and monitoring of ground anchors for a landslide stabilization system located at the State Route 82 Bridge, near Brecksville, Summit County, ...
SMatch: Structural Matching for Fast Resynthesis in FPGAs

Designers wait several hours to get synthesis, placement and routing results even for small changes. Commercial FPGA flows allow for resynthesis after code changes, however, they target large code changes with not so effective incremental flows. We propose SMatch, a flow for FPGAs that has a novel incremental elaboration and novel incremental FPGA placement and routing that improves the state-of-the-art by reducing the amount of placement and routing work needed. We evaluate our approach against commercial FPGAs flows. Our method finishes synthesis, placement, and routing in under 30s for most changes of publicly available benchmarks with negligible QoR impact, being over $20 \times$ faster than existing incremental FPGA flows. CCS CONCEPTS •Hardware → Methodologies for EDA; Logic synthesis.
The Insights of Radical Science in the CRISPR Gene-Editing Era: A History of Science for the People and the Cambridge Recombinant DNA Controversy

In the wake of controversy over human embryonic gene-editing with CRISPR/Cas9 technology, scientists have looked repeatedly to the 1975 Asilomar Conference on Recombinant DNA (rDNA) as a model for ...
Evidence for sex differences in morphological abnormalities in type I Chiari malformation

Background and purpose: Relatively little is known about the influence of individual difference variables on the presentation of macro-level brain morphology in type I Chiari malformation (CMI). The goal of the present study is to examine how case-control differences in Chiari are affected by patient sex. Materials and methods: Patient-provided magnetic resonance images were acquired through the Chiari 1000 database. Twenty-four morphometric measurements were taken using mid-sagittal images of 104 participants (26 male CMI, 26 female CMI, 26 male controls, and 26 female controls) using internally developed and validated custom software, Morphpro. Case-control comparisons were conducted separately by sex using healthy controls matched by age and body mass index. Probability-based t-tests, effect sizes (Cohen's d), and confidence intervals were used to compare case-control differences separately by sex. Results Male and female case-control comparisons yielded largely the same trends of CMI-related morphometric abnormalities. Both groups yielded reductions in posterior cranial fossa (PCF) structure heights. However, there was evidence for greater PCF structure height reductions in male CMI patients as measured by Cohen's d. Conclusions: Case-control differences indicated strong consistency in the morphometric abnormalities of CMI malformation in males and females. However, despite the higher prevalence rates of CMI in females, the results from the present study suggest that male morphometric abnormalities may be greater in magnitude. These findings also provide insight into the inconsistent findings from previous morphometric studies of CMI and emphasize the importance of controlling for individual differences when conducting case-control comparisons in CMI.
Reversibility of neuroimaging markers influenced by lifetime occupational manganese exposure.

Manganese (Mn) is a neurotoxicant that many workers are exposed to daily. There is limited knowledge about how changes in exposure levels impact measures in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We hypothesized that changes in Mn exposure would be reflected by changes in the MRI relaxation rate R1 and thalamic γ-aminobutyric acid (GABAThal). As part of a prospective cohort study, 17 welders were recruited and imaged on two separate occasions approximately two years apart. MRI relaxometry was used to assess changes of Mn accumulation in the brain. Additionally, GABA was measured using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in the thalamic and striatal regions of the brain. Air Mn exposure ([Mn]Air) and cumulative exposure indexes of Mn (Mn-CEI) for the past three months (Mn-CEI3M), past year (Mn-CEI12M), and lifetime (Mn-CEILife) were calculated using personal air sampling and a comprehensive work history, while toenails were collected for analysis of internal Mn body burden. Finally, welders' motor function was examined using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). Median exposure decreased for all exposure measures between the first and second scan. ΔGABAThal was significantly correlated with ΔMn-CEI3M (ρ = 0.66, adjusted p = 0.02), ΔMn-CEI12M (ρ = 0.70, adjusted p = 0.006) , and Δ[Mn]Air (ρ = 0.77, adjusted p = 0.002). ΔGABAThal significantly decreased linearly with ΔMn-CEI3M (quantile regression, β = 15.22, p = 0.02) as well as Δ[Mn]Air (β = 1.27, p = 0.04). Finally, Mn-CEILife interacted with Δ[Mn]Air in the substantia nigra where higher Mn-CEILife lessened the ΔR1 per Δ[Mn]Air (F-test, p = 0.005). While R1 and GABA changed with Mn exposure, UPDRS was unaffected. In conclusion, our study shows that effects from changes in Mn exposure are reflected in thalamic GABA levels and brain Mn levels, as measured by R1, in most brain regions.
Flue gas CO2 capture via electrochemically mediated amine regeneration: System design and performance

Abstract The electrochemically-mediated amine regeneration (EMAR) process uses electrons to modulate amine capacity to achieve CO2 separation from flue gas as an alternative to the traditional thermal regeneration process for CO2 capture. The EMAR separation scheme is validated in a batch system designed to evaluate efficiency losses. Current and voltage responses of the electrochemical process were analyzed in a flow system operated continuously for up to 50 h. An isothermal EMAR system can achieve separation efficiencies above 80% from a 15% CO2 feed, which is representative of the CO2 composition in a flue gas. This bench scale continuous system can operate at 40–80 kJe/molCO2 with an amine regeneration of between 0.12 and 0.62 molCO2/molamine. The ability to separate CO2 at high electron utilization and moderate electrical energy consumption will prompt future research into optimization of the electrochemical separation unit to obtain long-term and stable operations for flue gas scrubbing.
Silent Sinus Syndrome and Williams Syndrome: Two Rare Diseases Found in a Pediatric Patient.

Silent sinus syndrome (SSS) is a rare disease process characterized by progressive enophthalmos and hypoglobus due to ipsilateral maxillary sinus hypoplasia and orbital floor resorption. Patients may also present with eye asymmetry, unilateral ptosis, or diplopia. Most reported cases in the literature describe its occurrence in adults, but it can also affect children. The aetiology remains speculative, even though the most accepted theory is that during the first or second decade of life, occlusion of the maxillary ostium causes an interruption in normal sinus development. Williams syndrome (WS) is a rare genetic, multisystem disorder characterized by a constellation of distinctive phenotypic features, including psychomotor delay and cardiovascular abnormalities. We report a case of a 7-year-old female diagnosed at 1 year old with WS and who gradually developed SSS. This last condition was diagnosed at 7 years of age, when she started showing progressive facial asymmetry in addition to typical facial features of WS; subsequent neuroimaging definitively supported the diagnosis. This case report describes for the first time in the literature an uncommon situation in which SSS and WS, both rare syndromes, are present in the same paediatric patient. We speculate that the particular facial features typical of WS could either be the basis of the development of SSS in our patient or make the SSS clinical course more severe, with signs presenting at the age of 7 years. This case report shows for the first time that facial asymmetry in WS can be caused by SSS and highlights the need for early identification of this complication in patients with syndromes characterized by dysmorphic facial features. Further studies are needed to understand whether there is a link between the two syndromes as well as to evaluate the prevalence of SSS in patients with facial dysmorphisms and define the best management.