cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
THE WEALTH EFFECTS OF ANNOUNCEMENTS OF R&D EXPENDITURE INCREASES

We examine the effect of announcements of plans to increase R&D expenditures on the stock price of rival firms. We test two alternative hypotheses: the first-to-innovate hypothesis versus the free-rider of spillovers hypothesis. Analysis of 114 announcements of increases in R&D expenditures indicates that rival firms suffer a statistically significant negative abnormal return at announcement, which supports the first-to-innovate hypothesis. This result provides a rationale for the potentially costly voluntary disclosure of R&D expenditures. A cross-sectional analysis of the abnormal returns to rival firms reveals that a highly credible announcement has some spillover effects, and that the rival firm earns a much smaller but positive abnormal return. An important implication is that it is always strategically beneficial for the firm to disclose its future R&D plan.
Two Poe Bibliographies

J. Lasley Dameron and Irby B. Cauthen, Jr. Edgar Allan Pos: A Bibliography of Criticism, 1827–1967. Esther F. Hyneman. Edgar Allan Poe: An Awota. ted Bibliography of Books and Articles in English, 1827–1973.
Influence of Hatch Order on Begging and Plumage Coloration of Nestling Eastern Bluebirds

Abstract Hatching asynchrony in altricial songbirds can influence the morphology and behavior of nestling birds. We compared the position of nestling Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) in the hatching hierarchy to their (1) position in the egg-laying order, (2) rate of nestling begging, (3) circulating corticosterone, (4) size, and (5) plumage coloration. Most nestlings hatched within 36 hrs of each other, and nestlings hatched in the order in which eggs were laid. Early-hatched nestlings were heavier than late-hatched nestlings for the duration of the growth period and begged less intensely than their late-hatched siblings. There was little evidence of severe effects of hatch order. Hatch order did not influence nestling corticosterone levels nor did we find effects of hatch order on ornamental plumage coloration. Our data suggest no long-term effect of hatching asynchrony on the development of sexually selected plumage coloration.
Sub-100ns and low-loss reconfigurable silicon photonics

We develop a reconfigurable silicon photonics platform using low-loss microheater architectures integrated onto ultra-compact Si microdisk resonators. A low-power differentially tunable coupler is demonstrated with reconfiguration time below 85 ns using this platform.
The Prekindergarten Age-Cutoff Regression-Discontinuity Design: Methodological Issues and Implications for Application

Much of the currently available evidence on the causal effects of public prekindergarten programs on school readiness outcomes comes from studies that use a regression-discontinuity design (RDD) with the age cutoff to enter a program in a given year as the basis for assignment to treatment and control conditions. Because the RDD has high internal validity when its key assumptions are met, these studies appear to provide strong evidence for the effectiveness of these programs. However, there are overlooked methodological problems in the way this design has typically been applied that have the potential to produce biased effect estimates. We describe these problems, argue that they deserve more attention from researchers using this design than they have received, and offer suggestions for improving future studies.
Deformation-induced morphology changes and orientation behavior in syndiotactic polypropylene

Syndiotactic polypropylene (sPP) exhibits a complex crystalline morphology, characterized by unique annealing- and deformation-induced changes. Rheooptical FTIR spectroscopy, wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), and Raman spectroscopy are used to characterize morphology and orientation responses of highly syndiotactic sPP to tensile drawing. Solid-state thin films of different initial morphology, either quenched or slowly cooled from the melt, are studied. Results suggest that a gradual transition in macromolecular chain conformation, from gauche-gauche-trans-trans helical to all-trans planar, is observed at room temperature for quenched samples that are drawn up to 400% strain. This transition is marked initially by the gradual disappearance of helical chains (disordered form I) and the subsequent emergence of a mesophase, which may transform into form III crystals at even greater strains. Our primary investigational tool, the rheo-FTIR spectrometer, allows us to monitor the presence and orientation of amorphous, mesomorphic, and crystalline domains directly, simultaneously, and sensitively. Results from all of the techniques used are correlated in an effort both to assign IR peaks to characteristic sPP moieties and to generate a plausible physical model of the deformation dynamics in melt-quenched sPP.
Location of proline derivatives in conformational space. I. Conformational calculations; optical activity and NMR experiments.

In order to develop methods of analysis applicable to the determination of the conformation of biological polymers in solution, a series of proline derivatives was studied. The steric constraints of the pyrrolidine ring limit these compounds to a relatively small set of conformations. This set was further reduced by eliminating conformations with large computed conformational energy. Computations revealed that the conformational energy of the proline derivatives fits into one of three classes, depending on the bulk and the polarity of the C-terminal group. Three analogous classes of optical activity were observed. The optical activity data were analyzed in terms of conformations computed to be of low energy. In some cases qualitative theoretical considerations enabled molecular groups to be located. For example, solvent-dependent isomerization of the carboxyl hydrogen of N-acetyl-L-proline was detected. Nuclear magnetic resonance provided an experimental measure of the fraction of molecules which had cis unsymmetrically-substituted tertiary amide groups. This information aided and confirmed the other measures of molecular conformation.
Routing towards a mobile sink using virtual coordinates in a wireless sensor network

Geographical routing can provide significant advantages in wireless sensor networks. However in many sensor networks, it is difficult or costly to find the exact location of the nodes. The virtual coordinate techniques allow a network to acquire a coordinate system without relying on geographical location. In this paper, we describe MS-DVCR, an extension of a state-of-the-art virtual coordinate routing protocol (DVCR) with the ability to route towards a mobile sink. We describe the design principles and implementation of the proposed protocol and through an experimental study, we show that it matches the performance of a simple extension of DVCR for mobile sinks while providing a significantly lower energy consumption.
The Pulmonary Effects of Pure Aluminum

Aluminum was believed to be one of the most innocuous of the industrial metals, producing no harmful effects in the lungs or other organs (20,21).The metal has even been employed in the prevention and treatment of silicosis (5,6,7). Goralewski (9) reported that pulmonary lesions similar to those observed in silicosis, but appearing earlier, were found in 32% of 628 workers in the German explosives industry, in which aluminum is an important element. To this condition, he applied the term “Die Aluminiumlunge.” Explaining the variance with previous observations, he noted that the aluminum used in the manufacture of explosives was in powder form, and not coated with oil or lipid as occurs in other industries. Subsequent reports confirmed that the pulmonary lesions did, in fact, result from industrial exposure to finely pulverised aluminum (12, j 4 , 15, 16). Other investigators believe that aluminum, in chemical combination, is not etiologicd ly related to lung disease (17). Aluminum occurs in the form of ore, bauxite (AL20s,2H2,0), as a n oxide (Af&), Or a stearate (AlC18H3502). All of thesesubstances have been reported to induce pulmonary changes (3,21,24). Aluminum powder is commercially produced as trnely divided powder, thin, flake-like particles and in coarse granular form (2). Its purity isdependent upon itscomplete separation from extraneous material. Measurements of the particulate size of aluminum showed it t o be in the range of 1 t o 2 p. T h e particles were of irregular shape, somewhat flattened -fully capable of entering into the terminal respiratory passages, A study of the effects of highly purified aluminum wire, localized in a pulmonary segment, is the aim of this investigation.
Exploring the Impact of Queue Management on Quality of Service for SMBs

Small to medium businesses (SMBs) are an integral part of the U.S. economy, accounting for about half of private-sector output and employing more than half of private-sector workers. Managing limited resources as well as providing additional services that meet the range of customer expectations and improve the overall customer experience is a non-trivial activity for SMBs, who like any business, must focus on the seemingly conflicting goals of minimizing cost while maximizing customer value and profit. Queue management has been a problem for many years as an organization's ability (or inability) to adequately address queue management often has a direct correlation to the quality a customer associates with an overall service experience. This study describes Queue Admin, a database driven, online application designed to support SMBs in the management of various queues uncovering the impact that Queue Admin's design and delivery has on the quality of customers' overall service experience.
An analysis of the phenotypic effects of certain colour pattern genes in Heliconius (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

The colour patterns of Heliconius butterflies are built up from an array of serially homologous pattern elements known as the nymphalid groundplan. An analysis of the phenotypic effects of ten genetic loci from H. melpomene and H. cydno reveals that each alters the expression either of a single element of the groundplan or of an entire row of serially homologous elements. Five of the ten loci affect the size (or presence/absence) of specific pattern elements, two affect the colour in which a pattern element is expressed, two affect pattern-inducing activity of the wing veins, and one appears to affect an overall threshold for pattern determination. Three of the ten loci have identical effects on homologues of the fore- and hindwing. We show that most of the apparently large and qualitative phenotypic effects of these genes can be readily explained by relatively small and quantitative changes in the dimensions or positions of specific pattern elements.
Depression self-stigma as a mediator of the relationship between depression severity and avoidance.

This study examined the extent to which self-stigmatizing attitudes mediated the relationship between depression severity and avoidance. Participants were 167 community members with elevated depressive symptoms who completed a questionnaire packet that included measures of depression severity, self-stigma, treatment stigma, previous stigmatizing experiences, and behavioral avoidance. Self-stigma, treatment stigma, and stigmatizing experiences were found to partially mediate the relationship between depression severity and avoidance. Findings from the current study support a model in which an individual experiences depressive symptoms, which leads to stigmatizing experiences and an increase in the salience of stigmatizing attitudes about depression, which in turn leads to avoidance. Depression self-stigma plays an important role in exacerbating avoidance behaviors within the context of depressive symptoms. Future research would benefit from examining depression self-stigma as a mediator between depression ...
Alternative Employment Arrangements: A Gender Perspective

In this study we drew on national-level data to investigate the gendered nature of two alternative employment arrangements (independent contractors and temporary agency help), preferences for such arrangements, and the extent to which such arrangements accommodate work/family career quandaries of contemporary workers. Multivariate analyses revealed the perpetuation of gender schema and gendered structures, but this varied by type of alternative employment arrangement. Greater preference for temporary agency employment by married women than by married men derived from women not having to be the primary source of family income, rather than from an effort to “balance” work and child-rearing responsibilities. There were also gender differences in the tendency of married men and women to be independent contractors; women were less likely to be contractors. However, this alternative employment arrangement offers potential for both men and women to satisfy or challenge other gendered family structures and schema.
Major histocompatibility complex-restricted CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes from horses with equine infectious anemia virus recognize Env and Gag/PR proteins.

Abstract Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) can control some viral infections and may be important in the control of lentiviruses, including human immunodeficiency virus type 1. Since there is limited evidence for an in vivo role of CTL in control of lentiviruses, dissection of immune mechanisms in animal lentiviral infections may provide needed information. Horses infected with equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) a lentivirus, have acute plasma viremia which is terminated in immunocompetent horses. Viremic episodes may recur, but most horses ultimately control infection and become asymptomatic carriers. To begin dissection of the immune mechanisms involved in EIAV control, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from infected horses were evaluated for CTL to EIAV-infected cells. By using noninfected and EIAV-infected autologous equine kidney (EK) cells in 51Cr-release assays, EIAV-specific cytotoxic activity was detected in unstimulated PBMC from three infected horses. The EIAV-specific cytotoxic activity was major histocompatibility complex (MHC) restricted, as determined by assaying EIAV-infected heterologous EK targets, and was mediated by CD8+ T lymphocytes, as determined by depleting these cells by a panning procedure with an anti-CD8 monoclonal antibody. MHC-restricted CD8+ CTL in unstimulated PBMC from infected horses caused significant specific lysis of autologous EK cells infected with recombinant vaccinia viruses expressing EIAV genes, either env or gag plus 5' pol. The EIAV-specific MHC-restricted CD8+ CTL were detected in two EIAV-infected horses within a few days after plasma viremia occurred and were present after viremia was terminated. The detection of these immune effector cells in EIAV-infected horses permits further studies to determine their in vivo role.
Synchronized changes to relative neuron populations in postnatal human neocortical development.

Mammalian prenatal neocortical development is dominated by the synchronized formation of the laminae and migration of neurons. Postnatal development likewise contains ''sensitive periods'' during which functions such as ocular dominance emerge. Here we introduce a novel neuroinformatics approach to identify and study these periods of active development. Although many aspects of the approach can be used in other studies, some specific techniques were chosen because of a legacy dataset of human histological data (Conel in The postnatal develop- ment of the human cerebral cortex, vol 1-8. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1939-1967). Our method calculates normalized change vectors from the raw histo- logical data, and then employs k-means cluster analysis of the change vectors to explore the population dynamics of neurons from 37 neocortical areas across eight postnatal developmental stages from birth to 72 months in 54 sub- jects. We show that the cortical ''address'' (Brodmann area/ sub-area and layer) provides the necessary resolution to segregate neuron population changes into seven correlated '' k-clusters'' in k-means cluster analysis. The members in each k-cluster share a single change interval where the relative share of the cortex by the members undergoes its maximum change. The maximum change occurs in a dif- ferent change interval for each k-cluster. Each k-cluster has at least one totally connected maximal ''clique'' which appears to correspond to cortical function.
Influence of grazing and precipitation on ecosystem carbon cycling in a mixed-grass prairie

Grasslands sequester and store large amounts of soil carbon, which is primarily controlled by herbivory and precipitation. However, few studies have examined the combined effects of these two factors and quantified how they control carbon cycling in temperate grasslands. The objective of this study was to quantify how grazing intensity affects the magnitudes and patterns of net CO2 exchange in the mixed-grass prairie, the largest native grassland ecosystem in North America. The study was conducted during two contrasting precipitation years (dry vs. wet summer), which allowed investigation of the interaction between precipitation and grazing intensity on the magnitudes and patterns of net CO2 exchange. Our three grazing regimes have been in place for 20 years and consist of light and heavy grazing and ungrazed exclosures. Ecosystem CO2 exchange rates were strongly influenced by changes in summer precipitation. Decreasing summer precipitation reduced ecosystem respiration (RE) by 45%, gross ecosystem production (GEP) by 75%, and net ecosystem exchange (NEE) by 70%. The lightly grazed pastures had the greatest rates of RE, GEP, and NEE during the wet summer; however, NEE did not differ between grazing treatments in the dry summer. These results indicate that grazing intensity and precipitation interact to influence carbon cycling on mixed-grass prairie ecosystems.
Transcriptome-Wide Changes in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Gene Expression Regulated by Carbon Dioxide and the CO2-Concentrating Mechanism Regulator CIA5/CCM1

We used RNA sequencing to query the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii transcriptome for regulation by CO 2 and by the transcription regulator CIA5 (CCM1). Both CO2 and CIA5 are known to play roles in acclimation to low CO2 and in induction of an essential CO2-concentrating mechanism (CCM), but less is known about their interaction and impact on the whole transcriptome. Our comparison of the transcriptome of a wild type versus a cia5 mutant strain under three different CO2 conditions, high CO2 (5%), low CO2 (0.03 to 0.05%), and very low CO2 (<0.02%), provided an entry into global changes in the gene expression patterns occurring in response to the interaction between CO2 and CIA5. We observed a massive impact of CIA5 and CO2 on the transcriptome, affecting almost 25% of all Chlamydomonas genes, and we discovered an array of gene clusters with distinctive expression patterns that provide insight into the regulatory interaction between CIA5 and CO2. Several individual clusters respond primarily to either CIA5 or CO2, providing access to genes regulated by one factor but decoupled from the other. Three distinct clusters clearly associated with CCM-related genes may represent a rich source of candidates for new CCM components, including a small cluster of genes encoding putative inorganic carbon transporters.
Regulated drug bioanalysis for human pharmacokinetic studies and therapeutic drug management.

Regulated drug bioanalysis (i.e., determination of drug concentrations in biological matrices for regulated studies) usually refers to animal toxicokinetics, bioavailability/bioequivalence and clinical pharmacokinetic studies. However, there is another important regulated drug bioanalysis – therapeutic drug management (TDM). In the USA, TDM is regulated by Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments. In this article, we review and compare human pharmacokinetic sample analysis and TDM sample analysis. The US FDA/Bioanalytical Method Validation Guidance and the American Association for Clinical Chemistry/TDM Roundtable Recommended Generic Assay Validation Guidance are also compared. Some regulated drug bioanalysis issues, such as terminology, validation concepts and acceptance criteria, are discussed. Fostering interaction between bioanalysts from pharmaceutical science and clinical chemistry and reducing the regulatory gaps between different agencies for drug bioanalysis is our objective.
An Empirical Test of the Theory of Sales: Do Household Storage Constraints Affect Consumer and Store Behavior?

We revisit and test Salop and Stiglitz (1982) Theory of Sales. Equilibrium comparative static predictions are that greater consumer storage constraints lead to: (1) higher average prices, (2) fewer promotions, and (3) shallower promotions. In equilibrium, price dispersion is nonlinear in storage constraints, first increasing then decreasing. Empirical estimates of storage constraints are developed for approximately 1,000 households using the American Housing Survey (1989), United States Census (1990), and Stanford Market Basket Database (1991–1993). We find consumers with greater storage constraints shop more often and purchase smaller quantities per visit; moreover, the comparative static predictions are supported and evidence consistent with the equilibrium dispersion prediction is observed. Estimated quantitative effects are economically important.
Under pressure: sensing stress of computer users

Recognizing when computer users are stressed can help reduce their frustration and prevent a large variety of negative health conditions associated with chronic stress. However, measuring stress non-invasively and continuously at work remains an open challenge. This work explores the possibility of using a pressure-sensitive keyboard and a capacitive mouse to discriminate between stressful and relaxed conditions in a laboratory study. During a 30 minute session, 24 participants performed several computerized tasks consisting of expressive writing, text transcription, and mouse clicking. During the stressful conditions, the large majority of the participants showed significantly increased typing pressure (>79% of the participants) and more contact with the surface of the mouse (75% of the participants). We discuss the potential implications of this work and provide recommendations for future work.
Soil carbon dioxide partial pressure and dissolved inorganic carbonate chemistry under elevated carbon dioxide and ozone

Global emissions of atmospheric CO2 and tropospheric O3 are rising and expected to impact large areas of the Earth's forests. While CO2 stimulates net primary production, O3 reduces photosynthesis, altering plant C allocation and reducing ecosystem C storage. The effects of multiple air pollutants can alter below- ground C allocation, leading to changes in the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) in the soil, chemistry of dis- solved inorganic carbonate (DIC) and the rate of min- eral weathering. As this system represents a linkage between the long- and short-term C cycles and seques- tration of atmospheric CO2, changes in atmospheric chemistry that affect net primary production may alter the fate of C in these ecosystems. To date, little is known about the combined effects of elevated CO2 and O3 on the inorganic C cycle in forest systems. Free air CO2 and O3 enrichment (FACE) technology was used at the As- pen FACE project in Rhinelander, Wisconsin to understand how elevated atmospheric CO2 and O3 interact to alter pCO2 and DIC concentrations in the soil. Ambient and elevated CO2 levels were 360±16 and 542±81 l ll � 1 , respectively; ambient and elevated O3 levels were 33±14 and 49±24 nl l � 1 , respectively. Measured concentrations of soil CO2 and calculated concentrations of DIC increased over the growing season by 14 and 22%, respectively, under elevated atmospheric CO2 and were unaffected by elevated tropospheric O3. The increased concentration of DIC altered inorganic carbonate chemistry by increasing system total alkalinity by 210%, likely due to enhanced chemical weathering. The study also demonstrated the close coupling between the seasonal d 13 C of soil pCO2 and DIC, as a mixing model showed that new atmo- spheric CO2 accounted for approximately 90% of the C leaving the system as DIC. This study illustrates the potential of using stable isotopic techniques and FACE technology to examine long- and short-term ecosystem C sequestration.
Effect of liquid inflation on the viscoelastic behavior of the lungs in developing piglets

Viscoelastic dissipation through stress relaxation decreases during the first weeks after birth in the piglet's lungs (J. Appl. Physiol. 73: 1297–1309, 1992). To characterize the mechanism of this ...
Risk Stratification for Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injury in Major League Baseball Players: A Retrospective Study From 2007 to 2014

Background:Ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injury has become increasingly common in Major League Baseball (MLB) players in recent years.Hypothesis:There is a significant difference in preinjury fas...
Influence of Task - Technology Fit on Individual Job Performance in Insurance Industry: Special Reference to Batticaloa District

Task-technology fit is defined as fit between functionalities of the technology and the task requirements of the user. Meanwhile Individual job performance in the organization is very crucial because achievement of organizational goals and objectives can be assessed by the performance of human resources. Even though there are several factors deciding the level of Individual job performance, technology takes on important place in the modern organizational trend. This study examined the research problem of whether, task-technology fit influences individual job performance in the Insurance Industry. This research was carried out with the objectives of evaluating task-technology fit and individual job performance and analyzing the influence of task-technology fit on individual job performance in the Insurance Industry. Quantitative methodology has been applied for this research and questionnaires were used to collect data. The study sample comprised of 194 employees, who have access and are authorized to use Information Systems from all seven insurance companies in the Batticaloa district. Convenient sampling method was used. Univariate, Correlation and regression analysis have been used for the analysis purpose. Findings have shown that task-technology fit and individual job performances of Insurance entities are at a higher level. Furthermore, it was also found that there is a positive relationship between task-technology fit and individual job performance; and task-technology fit significantly influences individual job performance of the Insurance entities in Batticaloa district. These findings could contribute to the insurance companies and other financial organizations to improve the level of task-technology fit to have the improvement in individual job performance, which leads to overall improvement of organizational performance.
Imaging of Explosive Emission Cathode and Anode Plasma in a Vacuum-Sealed Vircator High-Power Microwave Source at 250 A/cm 2

Cold cathode operation under high current densities leads to explosive electron emission (EEE) that contributes to early A-K gap closure. Hence, inconsistent vacuum conditions and, if utilized in a high power microwave device, degradation of microwave output power are observed. The EEE centers are known to produce localized plasmas on the surface of the cathode that release and ionize the electrode material. Further, low melting point material in the anode is released due to electron bombardment accompanied by a significant surface temperature increase. Postmortem analysis has revealed particles up to 50 μm in diameter embedded in the opposite electrode. High speed ICCD imaging during A-K gap operation enabled resolving the plasma's spatial characteristics in time. Images of cathode and anode plasma during the operation of a virtual cathode oscillator at 250 A/cm 2 under ultrahigh vacuum conditions are presented.
( p , p ′ n ), ( p , p ′ γ ), and ( p , n p ′ ) Reactions on Sn 119 and Ni 61

The Weisskopf-Ewing assumption-that an ($x,yn$) reaction occurs with nearly unit probability if the first emitted particle, $y$, comes off with sufficiently low energy to make neutron emission energetically possible-is tested by coincidence studies of ($p,{p}^{\ensuremath{'}}n$) and ($p,{p}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\gamma}$) reactions on ${\mathrm{Sn}}^{119}$ and ${\mathrm{Ni}}^{61}$ and found to be grossly in error. In particular, ($p,{p}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\gamma}$) competes favorably with ($p,{p}^{\ensuremath{'}}n$) even when neutron emission is energetically possible by \ensuremath{\sim}2 MeV. In ${\mathrm{Sn}}^{119}$, the detailed shape of the energy spectrum of neutrons implies that spectra are drastically non-Maxwellian at low energies.
Faunal analysis of Aedes albopictus in Shannxi Province

To grasp faunal of Aedes albopictus using trapping with tent and person,capturing with net methods. in Shannxi Province,China Aedes albopictus distributes in 34 cities,counties and districts in Shannxi Province. The faunal analysis helps us better understand the distribution of Aedes albopitus in Shannxi Province.
Computational investigation of stoichiometric effects, binding site heterogeneities, and selectivities of molecularly imprinted polymers

A series of quantum mechanical (QM) computational optimizations of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) systems were used to determine optimal monomer-to-target ratios. Imidazole- and xanthine-derived target molecules were studied. The investigation included both small-scale models (3–7 molecules) and larger-scale models (15–35 molecules). The optimal ratios differed between the small and larger scales. For the larger models containing multiple targets, binding-site surface area analysis was used to quantify the heterogeneity of these sites. The more fully surrounded sites had greater binding energies. No discretization of binding modes was seen, furthering arguments for continuous affinity distribution models. Molecular mechanical (MM) docking was then used to measure the selectivities of the QM-optimized binding sites. Selectivity was also shown to improve as binding sites become more fully encased by the monomers. For internal sites, docking consistently showed selectivity favoring the molecules that had been imprinted via QM geometry optimizations. The computationally imprinted sites were shown to exhibit size-, shape-, and polarity-based selectivity. Here we present a novel approach to investigate the selectivity and heterogeneity of imprinted polymer binding sites, by applying the rapid orientation screening of MM docking to the highly accurate QM-optimized geometries. Modeling schemes were designed such that no computing clusters or other specialized modeling equipment would be required. Improving the in silico analysis of MIP system properties will ultimately allow for the production of more sensitive and selective polymers.
Implications of philosophy for assessing epistemic cognition

Educational researchers in the fields of "Personal Epistemology" (PE) and the "Understanding of the Nature of Science" (UNOS) suggest that attending to learners' ideas about the nature, sources and limits of knowledge promises a better account of cognitive development and real prescriptions for improving educational practice (e.g. King & Kitchener, 1994; Hofer and Pintrich, 2002; Lederman et al., 2002). These research efforts share at least three central aims: (1) Expose the epistemic frameworks implicit in cognition and learning; (2) Ascertain the relations between these frameworks and the activities of formal and informal learning environments; and (3) Design targeted instruction for the effective and reliable improvement of students' epistemic cognition. The assessments used to investigate epistemic dimensions of learning are clearly crucial to the achievement of each of these goals---both for accurately charting psychological attitudes and dispositions, and for measuring instruction-driven change. In paper 1, we explored ways in which the contemporary philosophical literature might represent a considerable yet under-exploited resource for research on new components of epistemic cognition. This study focuses on the design of the instruments used in this research, reviewing these in light of insights from philosophical practice.
Compensation status as a predictor of outcome in nonsurgically treated low back injury.

ABSTRACTWhether the compensation status of patients injured in occupational accidents influences treatment outcome remains a controversial issue. This article describes the treatment outcome status of compensated versus noncompensated patients who received comprehensive functional restoration treatm
Effect of Intrathecal Baclofen on Bladder and Sphincter Function

A programmable baclofen pump was implanted in 7 patients for relief of severe spasticity. The patients experienced improvement in bladder and sphincter function. This system would seem to be of value in improving lower urinary tract function in patients with diseases that produce marked spasticity.
Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Primer Design ( in Silico )

In this experiment, PCR primers aimed at amplifying short tandem repeat (STR) regions of DNA as selected from the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) will be designed and tested in silico using freeware software including IDT’s Biotools and BLAST. After a single set of PCR primers are designed, primer multiplexes will be created to simultaneously amplify multiple DNA loci. This lab enables students to more fully understand how the primers and multiplex DNA typing kits routinely employed by the crime labs function and the engineering inherent in creating multiplexes.
Electron Density Functions in Organic Chemistry

A few years ago we computed the electron density function for methyl lithium1 and called attention to the low value of the electron density, $\rho(\equiv \rho({\mathop{\rm r}\limits_\sim}_1)$, the one-electron density function2) at its minimum along the C-Li internuclear axis. This low value did not seem to be consistent with significant C-Li covalency and we accordingly wrote that the carbon-lithium bond is essentially wholly ionic. Fig. 1 presents a perspective plot of ρ for LiCH3 showing the low value of the shared electron density for C-Li compared to C-H. The electron density function has found frequent important use in understanding bonding and in testing our bonding concepts.2,3 The conclusion that organolithium compounds are best interpreted simply as contact ion pairs not much different from lithium fluoride came as a complete surprise to us. We had been trained (and we even taught in the past) that the properties of organolithium compounds required substantial carbon-lithium covalency; but the electron density patterns computed for a number of organolithium compounds forced us to change our views. Not everyone agrees with us and our conclusion is still controversial. For example, one reviewer wrote of our conclusions, “…is surely wrong. There must be an error in the program.”
Structurally distinct oligomers of islet amyloid polypeptide mediate toxic and non-toxic membrane poration

Peptide mediated gain-of-toxic function is central to pathology in diseases such as Alzheimer's and diabetes. Cytotoxicity has long been correlated with self-assembly of the peptides into membrane-associated oligomers. The relationship of such species to membrane poration and the nature of poration's effects on toxicity remain elusive. Here, we focus on islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP), a hormone associated with β-cell loss in diabetics. Newly developed membrane leakage and diluted-FRET methods enable structure-function inquiry to focus on large N, homooligomers. Our results not only show the coexistence of two mechanisms of poration, but reveal that only one is cytotoxic. At no point do the porating conformations of IAPP match those of aqueous prepared amyloid. Membrane associated oligomers are internally dynamic and grow in discrete steps consistent with liquid-like fusion. Toxic permeation can be localized to mitochondria using a structure specific-ligand, illuminating a strategy for small molecule development applicable to partially ordered proteins.
Economics of Commercial Aircraft

Since the beginning of World War II the U.S. Air Force and Navy have been the largest customers for the U.S. aircraft industry. Government policies toward the commercial aircraft and air transportation industries have been partly responsible for their records of innovation and productivity growth through the policy impact on demand for aircraft both military and civilian, through regulation and through the direct support of research.1 The diffusion of scientific and manufacturing technology for airframes, jet engines and avionics, from military contractors to commercial manufacturers, the so-called dual use of technology or swing technology greatly benefited the U.S. commercial airline industry.
Biologia systemowa jako paradygmat badawczy teorii inteligentnego projektu

Opponents of the intelligent design (ID) approach to biology have sometimes argued that the ID perspective discourages scientific investigation. To the contrary, it can be argued that the most productive new paradigm in systems biology is actually much more compatible with a belief in the intelligent design of life than with a belief in neo-Darwinian evolution. This new paradigm in system biology, which has arisen in the past ten years or so, analyzes living systems in terms of systems engineering concepts such as design, information processing, optimization, and other explicitly teleological concepts. This new paradigm offers a successful, quantitative, predictive theory for biology. Although the main practitioners of the field attribute the presence of such things to the outworking of natural selection, they cannot avoid using design language and design concepts in their research, and a straightforward look at the field indicates it is really a design approach altogether.
Searching with Maps: Impact of the Human Genome Project on Drug Discovery

Scientific maps, like cartographic maps, provide a high-level representation of the knowledge landscape setting the path for new discoveries, but the impact on maps on firm innovation and technolog...
Sensor fusion and augmented reality with the SAFIRE system

The Spectrally Agile Frequency-Incrementing Reconfigurable (SAFIRE) mobile radar system was developed and exercised at an arid U.S. test site. The system can detect hidden target using radar, a global positioning system (GPS), dual stereo color cameras, and dual stereo thermal cameras. An Augmented Reality (AR) software interface allows the user to see a single fused video stream containing the SAR, color, and thermal imagery. The stereo sensors allow the AR system to display both fused 2D imagery and 3D metric reconstructions, where the user can "fly" around the 3D model and switch between the modalities.
Random field finite element models with cohesive-frictional interactions of a hardened cement paste microstructure

Abstract Cement paste is a disordered material whose properties and structure differ spatially and cannot be precisely predicted. We propose a new approach for developing finite element models of a hardened microstructure that accounts for the stochastic nature of cement paste. The initial model configuration is a random field that is generated according to probability density functions measured through nanoindentation experiments on samples composed of Portland cement and a volcanic ash additive. We study the influence of cohesive-frictional interactions through a Mohr-Coulomb yield criterion applied to the finite element constitutive relations. An ensemble of microstructures are simulated to assess the influence of spatial fluctuations and plasticity on the mechanical response to compressive loading. Our results indicate that the micron-scale morphology has a limited influence on the macroscopic strength behavior. These findings suggest that the shear strength scaling and dilatant behavior of cement paste originates within nanometer-scale features of the composite.
Breast cancer histopathology is predictive of low-risk Oncotype Dx recurrence score.

BACKGROUND Oncotype Dx is a genetic test that has been incorporated into the 2017 AJCC breast cancer staging system for ER positive, HER2-negative, lymph node-negative patients to predict the risk of recurrence. Recent data suggest that immunohistochemistry (ER, PR, HER2, and Ki-67) and histologic subtype may identify patients that will not benefit from Oncotype Dx testing. METHODS A total of 371 patients underwent Oncotype Dx testing at our institution from 2012 to 2016. Oncotype recurrence score was categorized as low- (ORS = 0-10), intermediate- (11-25), or high risk (26-100). Invasive carcinomas were categorized based on histologic subtype as "favorable" (mucinous, tubular, cribriform, tubulolobular, and lobular) and "unfavorable" (ductal, mixed ductal and lobular, and micropapillary carcinoma). All cases were estrogen receptor positive and HER2-negative. Clinical and histologic predictors of low-risk ORS were assessed in univariate and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS A total of 371 patients were categorized by ORS as low risk (n = 85, 22.9%), intermediate risk (n = 244, 65.8%), and high risk (n = 42, 11.3%). The histologic subtypes with the highest percentage of high-risk ORS were invasive micropapillary (n = 4/17, 23.5%), pleomorphic lobular (n = 2/10, 20%), and ductal carcinoma (n = 28/235, 11.9%). Low-grade invasive carcinomas with favorable histology rarely had a high-risk ORS (n = 1/97, 1%). In a simple multivariable model, favorable histologic subtype (OR = 2.39, 95% CI: 1.10 to 5.15, P = 0.026), and histologic grade (OR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.07 to 2.90, P = 0.025) were the only significant predictors of an ORS less than 11 in estrogen receptor positive, HER2-negative, and lymph node-negative patients. CONCLUSION We question the utility of performing Oncotype Dx in subtypes of invasive carcinoma that are associated with excellent prognosis. We propose that immunohistochemistry for ER, PR, and HER2 is sufficient for patients with low-grade invasive carcinomas and can be used as a surrogate for Oncotype Dx.
Administration of a novel β-hydroxybutyrate ester after radiation exposure suppresses in vitro lethality and chromosome damage, attenuates bone marrow suppression in vivo

Cellular mechanisms to protect against and repair radiation damage depend on reducing equivalents from oxidative metabolism. Two recent studies explored compounds (ex. Ex-Rad and TP-508) with effic...
Every contact leaves a trace: contact with the criminal justice system, life outcomes, and the intersection with genetics.

Contact with the criminal justice (CJ) system is a relatively common occurrence in the United States. Criminologists and sociologists have long considered the impact of contact with the CJ system on later-in-life outcomes. This body of work has revealed a great deal of heterogeneity in life outcomes, suggesting individual differences are important to consider. At the same time, recent advances in the genomic sciences have allowed researchers to gather information from across the entire genome and to summarize that information into polygenic scores. In the present review, we consider how polygenic scores might be used to advance research into the impact of CJ system contact on life outcomes. In particular, we emphasize the importance of gene-environment interaction (G × E). We suggest that contact with the CJ system might represent a substantively important environmental moderator of polygenic risks. But we caution that studying the moderating role of contact with the CJ system will have its own complications—points that scholars must begin to consider and discuss now that the genomic era has reached the social sciences.
Clear Cell Papillary Renal Cell Carcinoma: Molecular Profile and Virtual Karyotype

Clear cell papillary renal cell carcinoma (CCP-RCC) is a recently recognized tumor that shares morphologic features of both clear cell renal cell carcinoma and papillary renal cell carcinoma but behaves in a more indolent fashion. To date, there is little molecular information available on CCP-RCC. DNA was extracted from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue blocks of 22 cases of CCP-RCC at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Targeted next-generation sequencing and single-nucleotide polymorphism array were performed on all cases. Next-generation sequencing analysis found 30 somatic variants across 63.3% of cases. Seventeen variants (56.7%) were predicted to be deleterious or possibly/probably damaging. Single-nucleotide polymorphism array analysis found copy number abnormalities and/or loss of heterozygosity in 22.7% of cases. We analyzed the genetic characteristics of a group of CCP-RCCs cases and found them to be genetically different from one another. Some cases were genetically similar to clear cell renal cell carcinoma.
Enabling High Efficiency Bandwidth Electrically Small Antennas through Direct Antenna Modulation

High-bandwidth communications in electrically small antennas (ESA’s) are often limited by the inherent narrowband performance physically defined by Chu’s limit for these types of emitters. With the advent of compact platforms in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s) which may have electrically small volumes yet utilized in systems such as Internet of Things (IoT), supporting such technologies require high-performance antennas capable of radiating high-bandwidth signals. We propose a novel capacitively loaded loop antenna (CLLA), comprised of two complementary and symmetrical high-power high figure-of-merit (FoM) GaN transistors. The antenna utilizes Direct Antenna Modulation (DAM) which, through the transistors, carefully modulate the input RF signal. This allows the transmission of high-bandwidth signals, despite the high radiation Q-factor of the CLLA. The DAM antenna was prototyped, measured, and compared to a conventional CLLA without transistors. The antenna radiates high-bandwidth signals and shows significant efficiency-bandwidth product improvement over traditional ESA’s.
Feminist theology and contemporary dieting culture: sin, salvation and weight loss narratives: by Hannah Bacon, New York, Bloomsbury T & T Clark, 2019, 256 pp., £ 72.89 (hardcover), ISBN 978 0 5676 5995 8; £ 19.99 (paperback), ISBN 978 0 5676 5997 2

I still remember the day when, as a grad student in the early 1990s, studying the relationship between traditional Christian ideas and American women’s struggles with food and their bodies, it dawn...
Histalog shock

A 55-year-old woman developed shock associated with oliguria after a single injection of 100 mg. of Histalog. The case is cited to draw attention to this potential danger of Histalog. It is emphasized, however, that shock is rare and that one should not be deterred from giving Histalog for gastric analysis whenever indicated, provided patients are properly selected.