cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Alcohol-Impaired Driving and Perceived Risks of Legal Consequences.

Background Driving while impaired (DWI) is a threat to public health. Codified legal sanctions are a widely implemented strategy to reduce DWI. However, it is unclear that sanctioning affects individual risk perceptions so as to deter alcohol-impaired driving. Methods Using survey data collected from individual drivers, police, and defense attorneys specializing in DWI in 8 U.S. cities, we investigated whether risk perceptions about legal consequences for alcohol-impaired driving, both the risk of being stopped if driving while alcohol-impaired and receiving specific penalties following a DWI, deter alcohol-impaired driving. First, we analyzed how different drivers' risk perceptions about being pulled over and facing criminal sanctions related to their self-reported alcohol-impaired driving in the year following the interview at which risk perceptions were elicited. Second, using data from an experimental module in which individual's risk perceptions were randomly updated by the interview, we analyzed how each driver's beliefs about his or her own future alcohol-impaired driving responded to randomly generated increases in the apprehension probability and sanction magnitude. Results Higher probabilities as estimated by the individuals of being pulled over corresponded to less alcohol-impaired driving in both analyses. Conversely, there was no statistical relationship between perceptions of criminal sanctions for DWI and alcohol-impaired driving with 1 exception—a small significant negative relationship between duration of jail time following a DWI conviction and alcohol-impaired driving. Conclusions Perceptions regarding the threat of being apprehended for alcohol-impaired driving were related to actual self-reported driving, while perceived sanctions following a DWI conviction for DWI generally were unrelated to either actual self-reported alcohol-impaired driving or the person's estimate of probability that he or she would drive while alcohol-impaired in the following year. Increasing certainty of apprehension by increasing police staffing and/or conducting sobriety checks is a more effective strategy for reducing alcohol-impaired driving than legislating increased penalties for DWI.
Atlatl Dart Velocity: Accurate Measurements and Implications for Paleoindian and Archaic Archaeology

ABSTRACTThrusting spears, hand-thrown javelins, and atlatls are all suggested as weapons used by Paleo hunters to bring down Pleistocene megafauna. Before we can distinguish between weapons in archaeological contexts, or compare their effects, we need accurate measurements of performance characteristics. Velocity directly influences momentum and kinetic energy and thus the damage a projectile can do, but accurate measurements of atlatl dart velocity are scarce. Measuring dart velocity requires naturalistic experiments involving human throwers. We measured numerous well-practiced individuals using a variety of atlatl equipment, comparing radar gun, film, and chronograph measurements of dart velocity. The atlatls used in hunting and warfare probably did not accelerate darts much beyond 35 m/s (78 mph). We evaluate Hutchings’ use of fracture velocity measurements on stone points to distinguish Paleoindian projectile systems, which seems promising but needs better experimental support, and we use kinetic ener...
Interaction of work function tuning and negative bias temperature instability for future nodes

Abstract Next generation finfet technology nodes will increasingly rely on the effective workfunction tuning to achieve the desired transistor VT as finfet doping is increasingly ineffective as a mean to tune VT. This work deals with metal gate workfunction engineering impact on bias temperature instability toward VT control in future nodes and its correlation with gate stack parameters. This work is divided in two parts. In the first part, the EWF extraction technique and its link to actual VT is investigated using a unique combination of CV/IV techniques. Using controlled experiments, a 400 meV EWF modulation modulates NBTI significantly. The impact of bulk defects due to this modulation is also discussed.
Curcumin induced toxicity towards human SK-MEL-28 melanoma cells

AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 14-18, 2007; Los Angeles, CA 3966 Currently, tyrosinase is used as a molecular target for treatment of melanoma in our laboratory. This enzyme is found abundantly in melanoma and can convert phenols to catechols and then o-quinones which are toxic to melanoma cells. Previously, curcumin was investigated and showed toxicity towards various melanoma cell line. Curcumin also demonstrated significant in vivo toxicity. Because curcumin is a phenol we decided to investigate that if o-quinone formation mediated by tyrosinase metabolism of curcumin plays a major role in curcumin induced toxicity in human SK-MEL-28 melanoma cell line. To elucidate the role of quinone induced toxicity a number of modulators were employed to enhance and/or prevent curcumin toxicity. We used ascorbic acid (AA), NADH and GSH depletions as surrogate markers of quinone formation and oxidative stress in tyrosinase mediated curcumin metabolism to delineate their roles in curcumin induced melanoma cell toxicity. Curcumin demonstrated a time dependent and dose dependent anti-proliferative effect against SK-MEL-28 melanoma cells with an IC50 (day 2) of 8 μM. Dicumarol (a quinone:NAD(P)H oxidoreductase inhibitor) and 1-bromoheptane (an intracellular GSH depleting agent) marginally but not significantly increased curcumin toxicity towards SK-MEL-28 melanoma cells. GSH (a thiol containing agent), ascorbic acid (a quinone reducing agent), and trifluperazine (a mitochondrial permeability transition pore inhibitor, MPTP), marginally but not significantly prevented curcumin toxicity. Dicumarol and 1-bromoheptane increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation when the melanoma cells were incubated with curcumin. It was found that tyrosinase did not metabolize curcumin. In addition, curcumin did not inhibit tyrosinase activity. The 3 h incubation of cells with 20 μM of curcumin led to a significant intracellular GSH depletion. In summary, we conclude that curcumin was not a substrate for tyrosinase. Neither quinone formation nor mitochondrial toxicity played a major role in curcumin induced toxicity in SK-MEL-28 melanoma cells whereas ROS formation and intracellular GSH depletion contributed significantly in curcumin induced toxicity in SK-MEL-28 melanoma cells.
Perceived impact of the Person of the Therapist Training model on Drexel University Master of Family Therapy postgraduates’ clinical work

The Person-of-the-Therapist Training (POTT) model, developed by Harry J. Aponte, teaches trainees to intentionally and productively use all aspects of themselves for clinical effectiveness. The cur...
Improvement of MAW spiral measurements by filtering spherical modes in the far field

The measurement of a modulated arm width (MAW) spiral is discussed and challenges due to the radiation properties of the MAW spiral are highlighted. In particular, significant pattern ripple is observed, which does not match the simulated radiation patterns and causes unsatisfactory direction finding performance. The cause of the ripple is diagnosed through the use of spherical mode decomposition, and non-physical modes are filtered to reduce ripple and improve measurement quality. This filtering is performed on the far-field radiation patterns extracted from spherical near-field measurements, which allows for simpler processing.
Unite the Pair so Long Disjoined: Justice and Empathy in Moral Development Theory

The paper provides an analysis of moral development theory developed by Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg. The paper explores the primary critiques of Kohlberg's moral development theory, including...
Educational Intervention and Therapy

This article reviews educational intervention for students with learning disabilities. Included are many of the decisions about placement and teaching as well as the legal and pedagogical forces that influence those decisions. The topics include the influence of special education legislation, delivery systems, changing ideas about placement and levels of services, and the psychological bases for intervention.
The Search for Peptides with Specific Antibradykinin Activity

Bradykinin and other related kinins present to the pharmacologist a complex and sometimes confusing spectrum of activities. The biochemical mechanisms by means of which these effects are produced are as yet unknown. The use of specific antimetabolites has in the past provided much insight into the mode of action of a number of biologically important substances. Work in this laboratory has been directed toward the goal of the design and synthesis of specific antimetabolites of bradykinin in the hope that these antimetabolites might be used to clarify some of the present uncertainties about the mode of action of that hormone. In addition, such specific antimetabolites might be useful in those clinical conditions that are characterized by the production of excessive amounts of bradykinin.
State Externalities Policy and Carbon Dioxide Emissions: Who Bears the Risks of Future Regulation?

ITEM: In January 1991, representatives of 38 state consumer advocacy offices and 17 environmental organizations warned utilities that failures to anticipate future carbon-dioxide-emission cost increases “will open those responsible to prudency challenges.”
Efficient multiresolution algorithms for computing lightness, shape-from-shading, and optical flow

Problems in machine vision that are posed as variational principles or partial differential equations can often be solved by local, iterative, and parallel algorithms. A disadvantage of these algorithms is that they are inefficient at propagating constraints across large visual representations. Application of multigrid methods has overcome this drawback with regard to the computation of visible-surface representations. We argue that our multiresolution approach has wide applicability in vision. In particular, we describe efficient multiresolution iterative algorithms for computing lightness, shape-from-shading, and optical flow, and evaluate the performance of these algorithms using synthesized images.
Entry of a sphere into a water-surfactant mixture and the effect of a bubble layer

An experimental study shows that splash formation is not reduced when spheres fall into water with a layer of soap bubbles on top. Instead, the bubble layer causes entrained air cavities to form at lower impact velocities. Results also show that the surfactant causes cavity formation to become radius dependent in cases where there is no bubble layer.
Diabetic Ketoacidosis and Hyperglycemic Hyperosmolar State

The two most serious acute metabolic emergencies seen in diabetes are diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which is responsible for more than 100 000 hospital admissions per year in the United States, and hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state (HHS), which is seen in approximately 10 cases per 100 000 people in the general population. Mortality rates in DKA range from 2 to 5% and from 5 to 35% in HHS. The most common precipitating factors in DKA and HHS include infections and omission or inadequate diabetes therapy. Absolute or ineffective insulin levels lead to a series of biochemical events culminating in hyperglycemia, ketosis, and acidosis in DKA and severe hyperglycemia and dehydration without ketosis in HHS. Major therapeutic goals of both emergencies include improvement of organ perfusion by increasing circulatory volume, gradual reduction of osmolality, gradual correction of serum glucose, clearance of both serum and urine of ketones (in DKA), and normalization of electrolyte levels. Careful and frequent monitoring is the most important aspect of management in both conditions. An algorithm for treatment of both DKA and HHS is discussed. Improved education and access to health care, early treatment of hyperglycemia, and monitoring hospitalized patients for elevations in blood glucose continue to be areas that could impact the incidence of these potentially fatal disease states. Keywords: diabetes; ketosis; acidosis; hyperglycemia; hyperosmolarity
Does Everyone Benefit from Participating in Accelerator Programs

In this article, we ask these following questions: Does participation in accelerator programs benefit new ventures? And, who, in particular, benefits from participating in accelerators? In this pap...
Suffering Like a Broken Toy: Social, Psychological, and Cultural Impacts for Urban American Indians with Chronic Pain

This paper will explore the difficult conversations and places of tension in the lived experience of chronic pain for urban American Indians from a larger study discerning relationships between chronic pain and colonization. A concurrent transformative mixed methods design with in-depth interviews and a survey was used for the larger study. This paper concerns only the qualitative data. Forty self-identified American Indian adults living in Indiana, Chicago, and Tulsa who reported pain for greater than three months provided their chronic pain illness experiences for this paper. The paper uses three data-derived themes to encompass the broad reaching social, psychological, and cultural suffering inherent in coping with chronic pain: invisibility, psychological peace, and warrior strength. American Indian chronic pain sufferers in this study struggle with the multiplicative invisibility of both their chronic pain and their native identity. The invisibility leads to passing as white in environments hostile to people of color. It also results in family disconnection, loneliness, and isolation. In order to survive socially-mediated assaults, American Indian chronic pain sufferers keep their psyche at peace through stress management, cultural engagement, and non-negativity. They also call upon warrior strength—their understanding that American Indians as peoples have always survived bolsters their individual strength to push through the pain. They seek to function without further debility and to maintain their economic, spiritual, social, and physical wellness. Ultimately the participants in this research tell a profound, critical, and world-changing story that requires attention in overcoming barriers to full thriving with chronic pain.
Artificial intelligence for education: Knowledge and its assessment in AI-enabled learning ecologies

Over the past ten years, we have worked in a collaboration between educators and computer scientists at the University of Illinois to imagine futures for education in the context of what is loosely...
Mesenteric Revascularization in Patients with Acute on Chronic Bowel Ischemia

Antegrade aortomesenteric (superior mesenteric) bypass was performed in a 75-year-old female with symptoms of chronic mesenteric ischemia with acute worsening with successful outcome. Another patient had retrograde aortic Dacron graft to superior mesenteric artery bypass for management of acute ischemia during the performance of aorto-bifemoral graft.
Cytoplasmic Microtubule Organizing Centers Regulate Meiotic Spindle Positioning in Mouse Oocyte

During oocyte meiosis, migration of the spindle and its positioning must be tightly regulated to ensure elimination of the polar bodies and provide developmentally competent euploid eggs. Although the role of F-actin in regulating these critical processes has been studied extensively, little is known whether microtubules (MTs) participate in regulating these processes. Here, we characterize a pool of MTOCs in the oocyte that does not contribute to spindle assembly but instead remains free in the cytoplasm during metaphase I (metaphase cytoplasmic MTOCs; mcMTOCs). In contrast to spindle pole MTOCs, which primarily originate from the perinuclear region in prophase I, the mcMTOCs are found near the cortex of the oocyte. At nuclear envelope breakdown, they exhibit robust nucleation of MTs, which diminishes during polar body extrusion before returning robustly during metaphase II. The asymmetric positioning of the mcMTOCs provides the spindle with a MT-based anchor line to the cortex opposite the site of polar body extrusion. Depletion of mcMTOCs, by laser ablation, or manipulating their numbers, through inhibitors or inducers of autophagy, revealed that the mcMTOCs are required to regulate the timely migration and positioning of the spindle in meiosis. We discuss how forces exerted by F-actin in mediating movement of the spindle to the oocyte cortex are balanced by MT-mediated forces from the mcMTOCs to ensure spindle positioning.
Exploring a Machine Learning Approach to Performance Driven Analog IC Placement

Analog IC layout is usually a time-consuming manual design process. Although automated analog IC layout has been studied for decades, most of the previous works are focused on geometric constraints. As a result, there is often a performance gap compared to manual designs, which prevents the automated tools from wide applications. The recent progress on machine learning technology offers an opportunity for solving this problem. In this work, several machine learning techniques are investigated for analog IC performance prediction, which is further applied for performance driven placement. Simulation results from several amplifier designs indicate that the proposed approach can achieve performance similar to manual layout but is orders of magnitude faster.
Semigroup dynamics for flight vectors

A commutative semigroup of contractions S on a Hilbert space, ℌ, has a natural order and resultant net structure which defines stability, system dynamics, and α and ω limits for the flight vectors ℌ0. The space of 'pure' flight vectors - no nontrivial weakly stable components - are spanned by the ω limits of weakly-wandering vectors which are weakly Poisson recurrent. ℌ0 splits: ℌ0 = ℌm ⊕ ℌw, ℌw the weakly stable subspace and Hm the weakly Poisson recurrent space. ℌm = ⊕M(xτ, S) where M(xτ, S) is the closed subspace spanned by the weak limit points of xτ, {xτ} an orthonormal set of weakly-wandering vectors in ℌm. Examples illustrate the results.
Sculpting Enzyme-Generated Giant Polymer Brushes.

We present a simple yet versatile method for sculpting ultra-thick, enzyme-generated hyaluronan polymer brushes with light. The patterning mechanism is indirect, driven by reactive oxygen species c...
Early Tracheostomy Change in Neonates: Feasibility and Benefits.

ObjectivesTo compare outcomes of early and late tracheostomy change in neonatal patients. Early tracheostomy change (ETC) occurred 3 to 4 days after surgery, and late tracheostomy change (LTC) occu...
On the relationship between hunters and pro-environmental intent

Unprecedented climate change and ecosystem degradation require immediate action at individual and societal levels. It has been suggested that hunting, as a nature-based activity, can contribute to ...
A Conclusion in Search of a History to Support It

In this article, I examine originalism's legitimacy as an interpretive theory by addressing two issues. First, I use essays written by two prominent originalists to demonstrate that Justice Scalia, by any measure the most important proponent of this theory, was not himself an originalist. This conclusion alone does not necessarily discredit the theory, but it supplies strong evidence of originalism's true nature as a tool for winning arguments. Second, I compare the historical arguments employed by Justice Souter in a search and seizure opinion with Professor Davies' detailed critique challenging the validity of the Court's historical analysis in that case. This critique attempts to demonstrate that originalism generally does not and cannot solve twenty-first century problems arising under ambiguous eighteenth century texts. The discussion demonstrates that originalism' s deficiencies are not bound to a particular ideology. In the Fourth Amendment context, for example, its use by those advocating greater government authority and by those favoring greater restrictions on that power is flawed for the same reasons. Both sides in that debate continue to deploy it, but not because originalism leads to historical truth. They use it as a device to help them prevail in constitutional disputes.
SRA: Smart Recovery Advisor for Cyber Attacks

Continuous Data Protection (CDP) is becoming instrumental in recovering applications from crypto-ransomware attacks. It enables fine-grained recovery through journaling, allowing the applications (its volumes) to recover to any previous state. While zero data loss can be achieved during recovery with CDP, the timestamp of the desired restore point, i.e., the one just prior to the attack, needs to be provided to reconstruct the volume. Such information is often unavailable in practice, and system administrators can only adopt a trial-and-error strategy to narrow down the time range of desired restore points by making multiple time-consuming recovery attempts. The recovery systems offer little guidance in pointing to the restore points containing a valid application state and reducing data loss. To address this problem, we equip the CDP-based recovery with machine intelligence. This demonstration showcases Smart Recovery Advisor (SRA), which offers interpretable, data-driven, and feedback-aware restore point recommendations that reduce the number of recovery attempts while minimizing data loss.
Working with Other Problems, Populations, and Contexts

One of the challenges that arise in coming up with new and better ideas and procedures is that of testing the limits of current knowledge and pushing forward the boundaries. Problems that cannot be resolved in the context of existing knowledge challenge or test the limits of that knowledge. Successful problem solving contributes to the process by which knowledge is created and transformed. In this, the final chapter of the book, we turn to the issue of how we have sought to extend our current work to include new and better ways of dealing with the types of problems that often arise in treating children with anxiety and phobic disorders.
An examination of college selection factors used by business students who chose to attend a small Midwestern private college

Many college systems are facing a recruiting environment where the individual driving forces add up to more than their individual sum, creating a highly challenging situation. Some of the driving forces creating this recruiting challenge are: decreasing number of high school graduates, more educational offerings, a tightening of the credit markets, and changing college expectations of the “millennial” generation. This quantitative research study focused on students who chose to major in business and their college decisionmaking process to attend a small Midwest private college. The students’ responses to the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) freshman survey were used to identify possible college choice factors used in business students’ decision-making processes to attend this particular college. The results suggest that factors business students used as their major college choice factors for attending this small Midwestern private college were: (a) getting a better job; (b) making more money; and (c) obtaining training for a specific career. In addition, four variables were identified that the students used in their decision-making process: (1) the college’s good academic reputation: (2) the offer of financial assistance; (3) graduates get good jobs; and (4) a positive campus visit. The findings will be helpful in identifying processes and/or tools used in this college’s enrollment management system.
Do Business Demographics Matter to Nascent Venture Performance? A Longitudinal Evidence from the Kauffman Firm Survey.

Scant literature exists on impact of organizational demographics on nascent venture performance. Business demographics were looked at through the lenses of organizational traits, resource-based view and population ecology theories. The combined as well as the individual longitudinal impact of five business demographics (nature of product, primary location of business, number of active owner-operators, business legal status and technological orientation) on nascent venture performance was examined. 754 out of the 863 businesses that survived cleaning of the first four years of the Kauffman Firm Survey (KFS) dataset were retained in the analysis sample to maintain the original sample stratification of the data set. Results of multiple regression revealed that business demographics globally had significant effect on nascent venture performance in year-2 and year-4 of first four years of existence of the cohort of businesses studied. Three of the individual business demographics indicators, namely: nature of product, business legal status and technological orientation also had significant but inconsistent effects on nascent venture performance across the four years under study. The study threw light on the longitudinal effects of business demographics on nascent venture performance and drew attention to the fact that business demographics can theoretically be envisioned through the lenses of trait theory, resource based view and population ecology theory.
Time-reversal-symmetry breaking in circuit-QED-based photon lattices

Breaking time-reversal symmetry is a prerequisite for accessing certain interesting many-body states such as fractional quantum Hall states. For polaritons, charge neutrality prevents magnetic fields from providing a direct symmetry-breaking mechanism and, similar to the situation in ultracold atomic gases, an effective magnetic field has to be synthesized. We show that in the circuit-QED architecture, this can be achieved by inserting simple superconducting circuits into the resonator junctions. In the presence of such coupling elements, constant parallel magnetic and electric fields suffice to break time-reversal symmetry. We support these theoretical predictions with numerical simulations for realistic sample parameters, specify general conditions under which time reversal is broken, and discuss the application to chiral Fock-state transfer, an on-chip circulator, and tunable band structure for the Kagome lattice.
Terpenoid indole alkaloid production by Catharanthus roseus hairy roots induced by Agrobacterium tumefaciens harboring rol ABC genes

We have established Catharanthus roseus hairy root cultures transgenic for the rol ABC genes from T(L)-DNA of the agropine-type Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain A4. The rol ABC hairy root lines exhibit a wild-type hairy root syndrome in terms of growth and morphology on solid medium. However, they differ from wild-type hairy root lines in that they more frequently have excellent adaptability to liquid medium and do not appear to form calli during cultivation. Moreover, they do not produce detectable levels of mannopine and agropine which, in contrast, are often synthesized abundantly in wild-type hairy root lines. The absence of these opines does not appear to cause the rol ABC lines to have higher levels of terpenoid indole alkaloids than wild-type hairy root lines. Unlike wild-type lines, rol ABC lines produce very similar levels of total alkaloids despite wide variations in individual alkaloid contents. This work demonstrates that the three genes rol ABC are sufficient to induce high-quality hairy roots in Catharanthus roseus.
Automatic relative orientation of large scale imagery over urban areas using Modified Iterated Hough Transform

The automation of relative orientation (RO) has been the major focus of the photogrammetric research community in the last decade. Despite the reported progress, there is no reliable (robust) approach that can perform automatic relative orientation (ARO) using large-scale imagery over urban areas. A reliable and general method for solving matching problems in various photogrammetric activities has been developed at The Ohio State University. This approach has been used to solve single photo resection using free-form linear features, surface matching and relative orientation. The approach estimates the parameters of a mathematical model relating the entities of two datasets when the correspondence of the involved entities is unknown. When applied to relative orientation, the coplanarity model is used to relate extracted edge pixels and/or feature points from a stereo-pair. In its execution, the relative orientation parameters are solved sequentially, using the coplanarity model to evaluate all possible pairings of the input primitives and choosing the most probable solution. As a result of this technique, the matched entities that correspond to the parameter solution are implicitly determined. Experiments using real data conclude that this is a robust method for relative orientation for both urban and rural scenes.
Lymphocyte and antibody cytotoxicity to tumor cells measured by a micro- 51 chromium release assay.

51Chromim release micro-assays for both lymphocyte and antibody cytotoxicity have been developed. Tests vs. several different types of target cells can be performed on 1 to 5 ml of blood. The results are objective, highly reproducible and can be obtained within 6 hrs. Application of this test system to primates carrying tumors induced by various oncornaviruses has Shown highly specific responses i.e. the animals developed lymphocyte and antibody cytotoxicity against cells transformed by the same virus which had induced their tumors but they remained non-reactive against cells transformed by other viruses.
Genetic differentiation associated with gait within American Standardbred horses

American Standardbred horses are divided into two groups based upon gait: the trot and the pace. The tendency to trot (diagonally opposite legs moving forward together) or pace (the two legs on the same side of the body moving forward together) appears to be genetically determined, although no formal genetic analysis has been undertaken. There is nearly complete assortative mating for gait; however, about 20% of the offspring sired by trotters are registered as pacers, while fewer than 1% of those sired by pacers are registered as trotters. Electrophoretically detectable genic variation at 13 protein loci has been analysed for 371 trotters and 856 pacers, and 10 blood group loci have been examined for 600 trotters and 1227 pacers. Trotters and pacers shared common alleles at 20 of the 23 loci; however, there were significant differences in allele frequencies at 21 of the 23 loci. Highly significant fixation indices (FSTS) were observed for 17 of the loci. The extent of genetic difference between Standardbred trotters and pacers was as great as or greater than that seen between some distinct horse breeds.
Writing Medical Student and Resident Performance Evaluations: Beyond “Performed as Expected”

* Abbreviations: PRIME+ — : professionalism, reporter, interpreter, manager, educator, plus suggesting an area for focused improvement and development. RIME — : reporter, interpreter, manager, educator This article continues the Council on Medical Student Education in Pediatrics’ series on the skills of, and strategies used by, excellent clinical teachers. Here, we provide a practical framework and helpful tips for writing student evaluations that will inform both students and their medical schools. —Susan Bannister, Editor, Council on Medical Student Education in Pediatrics Monthly Feature In the present age of competency-based evaluations, faculty complete more forced-choice performance rating scales. Nonetheless, the narrative evaluation that tells the “story” of the learner remains critical, providing context that helps students understand the feedback they receive and clerkship directors understand the “big picture” of each student’s performance. For medical students, narrative evaluations can be included in the Medical Student Performance Evaluation that summarizes their performance in the first 3 years of medical school and becomes part of their residency applications. In this article, we review a framework that can help preceptors write narratives that more fully reflect observed performance. Despite many clinical observations, intelligent and accomplished faculty can suffer writer’s block when trying to write meaningful descriptions of students.1 Consider the following examples that we have received:“Needs to work on follow-through of plans and communicating with staff. Will refer to clerkship director.”“Very pleasant. Fun to work with. Seemed to enjoy Ped ED setting. Overall, performed as expected.”“Exceeded all expectations. Very bright and organized.”“Although a likable person, at times he appeared to be confused during the rotation.”“Development of treatment plans will improve with experience. Continue reading to improve fund of knowledge” Although truthful and honest, these written narratives do not … Address correspondence to Alison V. Holmes, MD, MPH, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Pediatrics, Rubin 552, One Medical Center Dr, Lebanon, NH 03756. E-mail: Alison.V.Holmes{at}hitchcock.org
Oleanane triterpenoid CDDO-Me inhibits growth and induces apoptosis in prostate cancer cells by independently targeting pro-survival Akt and mTOR.

BACKGROUND Synthetic triterpenoids are potent anticancer agents, but their therapeutic efficacy or mechanism of action for prostate cancer has not been investigated. The goal of this study was to determine the antitumor activity and the mechanism of action of methyl-2-cyano-3,12-dioxooleana-1,9(11)-dien-28-oate (CDDO-Me), a oleanane-derived synthetic triterpenoid for human prostate cancer cells. METHODS The antitumor activity of CDDO-Me for hormone-refractory PC-3 (AR−) and C4-2 (AR+) prostate cancer cell lines was determined by effects on cell growth and induction of apoptosis, identification of molecular targets, and therapeutic efficacy in vivo in PC-3 xenograft model. RESULTS CDDO-Me inhibited the growth and induced apoptosis in PC-3 and C4-2 cells at extremely low concentrations. The antitumor activity of CDDO-Me was associated with the inhibition of p-Akt, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling proteins and their downstream targets such as p-Bad and p-Foxo3a (Akt); p-S6K1, p-eIF-4E and p-4E-BP1 (mTOR); and COX-2, VEGF and cyclin D1(NF-κB). Silencing of Akt sensitized the PC-3 cells to CDDO-Me, whereas overexpression of Akt induced resistance to CDDO-Me. Targeted silencing of Akt showed that Akt does not regulate mTOR activation in PC-3 cells, but targeted silencing of mTOR sensitized PC-3 cells to CDDO-Me mediated growth inhibition. Further, treatment with CDDO-Me inhibited the growth of PC-3 xenografts in nude mice. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated potent antitumor activity of CDDO-Me against prostate cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. Data also identified Akt and mTOR as molecular targets of CDDO-Me in prostate cancer cells. Prostate 69: 851–860, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
GRIEVANCES: A REVIEW OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE

Behavioral and industrial relations literature on grievances were reviewed. As a result, serious methodological, theoretical, and ethical questions were raised. Fundamental research is required to establish the reliability of grievance phenomena. Further, the use of grievance data as criteria is dubious because of conceptual problems of deficiency and contamination. Given existing threats to traditional grievance systems, basic research, especially program evaluation, on proposed structural and behavior variants of grievance procedures is necessary.
The two faces of IL-6 on Th1/Th2 differentiation

Interleukin (IL)-6 is a cytokine produced by several cell types including antigen presenting cells (APC) such as macrophages, dendritic cells, and B cells. IL-6 is involved in the acute phase response, B cell maturation, and macrophage differentiation. Here, we discuss a novel function of IL-6: the control of T helper (Th) 1/Th2 differentiation. IL-6 promotes Th2 differentiation and simultaneously inhibits Th1 polarization through two independent molecular mechanisms. IL-6 activates transcription mediated by nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) leading to production of IL-4 by nai;ve CD4(+) T cells and their differentiation into effector Th2 cells. While the induction of Th2 differentiation by IL-6 is dependent upon endogenous IL-4, inhibition of Th1 differentiation by IL-6 is IL-4- and NFAT-independent. IL-6 inhibits Th1 differentiation by upregulating supressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)-1 expression to interfere with IFNgamma signaling and the development of Th1 cells. Since IL-6 is abundantly produced by APC, it is a likely source of early Th1/Th2 control during CD4(+) T cell activation. Thus, by using two independent molecular mechanisms, IL-6 plays a dual role in Th1/Th2 differentiation.
External urethral sphincterotomy: Long-term follow-up

We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 37 male spinal cord injury patients who underwent sphincterotomy from 1986–1993 to evaluate the long-term results of this procedure. Patients were selected for the operation based on urodynamic criteria and all had some detrusor activity or were able to void by Valsalva's maneuver. There were 26 cervical injuries and 11 thoracic injuries. The operation was judged a failure if the following were present postoperatively: the presence of large post void residual volumes associated with urinary tract infections, autonomic dysreflexia symptoms associated with bladder overdistension or high voiding pressures, and/or progressive upper tract deterioration due to persistent vesicoureteral reflux or poor bladder emptying. Eighteen' operations were failures and 19 operations were successful. Causes for sphincterotomy failure included recurrent detrusor sphincter dyssynergy (6), detrusor hypocontractility (6), bladder neck contracture (3), stricture at the external sphincter (1), incomplete sphincterotomy (1), and unknown etiology (1). The reoperation rate was 32%. The mean follow-up time was 49 months for the failure group (range 2–81) and 26 months (range 2–54) for the successes. The longer mean follow-up period in the former group suggests that the number of failures increased with time. There was no predictor of failure among any of the following parameters: age at operation, level of injury, previous bladder neck/sphincter operations, preoperative maximum detrusor contraction pressures, or rise time to maximum pressure. In conclusion: (1) the external urethral sphincterotomy, even in appropriately selected patients, can have a high failure rate over time, and (2) we could not identify any variables to predict an unsuccessful operation using our present selection criteria. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A positioning jig to verify the accuracy of implant abutments

Cement-retained, implant-supported fixed partial dentures that involve the use of a custom-made abutment can be fabricated in 1 of 2 ways1: with the use of conventional fixed prosthodontic procedures, which include an implant-level transfer impression, fabrication of the custom abutments, and a final impression after abutment placement; or with the use of one master cast for fabrication of the abutments and the final prosthesis. The advantage of the latter procedure is that minimal chairtime is needed because the final impression appointment is eliminated. When a custom-milled abutment is used, it can be positioned in multiple orientations on hexed implants or with no orientation on nonhexed implants, which usually are used with multiple implant restorations.2-4 When more than one implant abutment is to be placed, the number of possible orientations can increase and make this step time-consuming. It is imperative that the abutments be held in a fixed position while the abutment screws are tightened. This article presents a technique for using a positioning jig to accurately relate the custom abutments to each other and to the dental implants.
The Electronic-Wave Theory of Velocity-Modulation Tubes

Following a brief discussion of the Hahn theory of velocity modulation in which there is explained the basic velocity-modulation tube phenomena by means of space-charge waves propagating along the electron beam, the wave theory is reformulated by means of the retarded potentials for the most important case, that of a magnetically focused electron beam. The use of the potentials is believed to result in sufficient simplification to merit consideration in choosing the best attack on the theory. The electron beam is seen to be a medium for space-charge-wave propagation, the input signal serving to excite waves which propagate with beneficial change down the tube and induce output current in the output circuit. It is shown that important design constants for velocity-modulation tubes, such as optimum-drift tube length and the amount and phase of the transconductance, may be computed by use of the wave theory. Numerical values are given for a special case as an example.
The Persistence of Racism in America

Why have racist attitudes persisted in America despite tremendous changes in education and socialization during the last four decades? In this book, Thomas Powell explains the patterns of beliefs, attitudes, and values that have supported these views. In a broad exploration that analyzes the values expressed by Western thinkers from the Enlightenment to contemporary thought, Powell reaches the controversial conclusion that racism is linked to many of our most cherished social, political, and religious values.
Inhibitory effect of a novel combination of Salvia hispanica (chia) seed and Punica granatum (pomegranate) fruit extracts on melanin production

In recent years, dietary fatty acids have been extensively evaluated for nutritional as well as cosmetic benefits. Among the dietary fats, the omega-3 (ω3) and omega-6 (ω6) forms of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been found to exhibit many biological functions in the skin such as prevention of transepidermal water loss, maintenance of the stratum corneum epidermal barrier, and disruption of melanogenesis in epidermal melanocytes. In this study, we examined the effect of chia seed extract, high in ω3 (linolenic acid) and ω6 (linoleic acid) PUFAs, for its capacity to affect melanogenesis. Chia seed extract was shown to inhibit melanin biosynthesis in Melan-a cells; however, linoleic and α-linolenic acids alone did not effectively reduce melanin content. Further investigation demonstrated that chia seed extract in combination with pomegranate fruit extract had a synergistic effect on the inhibition of melanin biosynthesis with no corresponding effect on tyrosinase activity. Investigation of the possible mechanism of action revealed that chia seed extract downregulated expression of melanogenesis-related genes (Tyr, Tyrp1, and Mc1r), alone and in combination with pomegranate fruit extract, suggesting that the inhibition of melanin biosynthesis by a novel combination of chia seed and pomegranate fruit extracts is possibly due to the downregulation of gene expression of key melanogenic enzymes.
Suspending, migrating and resuming HPC virtual clusters

A systematic study of issues related to suspending, migrating and resuming virtual clusters for data-driven HPC applications is presented. The interest is focused on nontrivial virtual clusters, that is where the running computation is expected to be coordinated and strongly coupled. It is shown that this requires that all cluster level operations, such as start and save, should be performed as synchronously as possible on all nodes, introducing the need of barriers at the virtual cluster computing meta-level. Once a synchronization mechanism is provided, and appropriate transport strategies have been setup, it is possible to suspend, migrate and resume whole virtual clusters composed of ''heavy'' (4 GB RAM, 6 GB disk images) virtual machines in times of the order of few minutes without disrupting parallel computation-albeit of the MapReduce type-running inside them. The approach is intrinsically parallel, and should scale without problems to larger size virtual clusters.
Emotional Stability Pertaining to the Game of Dungeons & Dragons.

The game of Dungeons & Dragons, which involves extensive fantasy role-playing by the participants, has been blamed by groups of lay people for having caused a number of suicides and homicides, as well as generally promoting such behavior. The 16 PF was administered to players of the game and a Pearson correlation was performed between years of playing the game and their emotional stability as measured by Factor C of the test. No significant correlation was found.
CO Chemiluminescence and Kinetics of the C2 + O2 Reaction

The reaction C2(X1Σ, a3Π) + O2(X3Σ) → CO(X1Σ, A1Π, a‘ 3Σ, d3Δ, e3Σ) + CO(X1Σ) has been studied in two types of reactors. A Pyrex steady-state fast-flow reactor at approximately 500 K was used to obtain the spectral distributions of the CO (A1Π−X1Σ) emissions in the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) and the CO triplet states emissions in the visible and near-IR (vis) wavelength region. The VUV emission had not previously been positively identified. The C2 was produced from the C2Cl4 + K reaction. In a pseudostatic high-temperature photochemistry (HTP) reactor C2 was made by 193 nm multiphoton dissociation of C2Cl4. That apparatus was used for quenching and rate coefficient experiments in the time domain. The VUV quenching measurements confirm the orbital symmetry argument that the reaction proceeds through excited C2O2 intermediates. Reaction schemes for C2(X1Σ) and for C2(a3Π) are presented. The results are compared to those from the O + C2H2 reaction, which leads via C2O + O to the same band systems emissions, an...
Unsymmetrical Buckling of Thin Shallow Spherical Shells

Abstract : A theoretical study of buckling of clamped shallow spherical shells under uniform external pressure is presented. For sufficiently large deflection, deformations of such shells are not proportional to the applied pressure. The shell deforms axisymmetrically under sufficiently low pressure. The problem of axisymmetrical snapping has been solved by different numerical methods and the results agree with each other. The buck ling pressures obtained in such a manner are too high as compared with experimental results ob tained in References. Initial imperfections of the shell and unsymmetrical buckling are presumed to be the sources of this discrepancy between axisymmetrical buckling theory and experiment.
Extended Cognition in Science Communication

The aim of this article is to propose a methodological externalism that takes knowledge about science to be partly constituted by the environment. My starting point is the debate about extended cognition in contemporary philosophy and cognitive science. Externalists claim that human cognition extends beyond the brain and can be partly constituted by external devices. First, I show that most studies of public knowledge about science are based on an internalist framework that excludes the environment we usually utilize to make sense of science and does not allow the possibility of extended knowledge. In a second step, I argue that science communication studies should adopt a methodological externalism and accept that knowledge about science can be partly realized by external information resources such as Wikipedia.
Terminal electron-transport mechanisms in the tubercle bacillus. A reduced diphosphopyridine nucleotide-nitro-blue tetrazolium diaphorase

Abstract Two soluble DPNH-nitro-blue tetrazolium reductases have been purified from cell-free extracts of the H 37 Ra strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis . The enzymes are activated by a non-ionic surface-active agent, Triton X-100. It is suggested that DPNH-nitro-blue tetrazolium reductases are part of a larger DPNH oxidase complex and are solubilized during the preparation of the cell-free extract.
DIVERSITY OF FISH SPAWNING SOUNDS AND THE APPLICATION OF PASSIVE ACOUSTIC MONITORING

(2002). DIVERSITY OF FISH SPAWNING SOUNDS AND THE APPLICATION OF PASSIVE ACOUSTIC MONITORING. Bioacoustics: Vol. 12, No. 2-3, pp. 286-289.