cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of weekly compared with daily iron supplementation

A reduction in the frequency of iron supplement administration to once or twice weekly is being widely examined in developing countries on the assumption that the side effects of oral iron will decrease and that the reduction in administered iron will be offset by a lesser inhibition in absorption from iron taken on the previous day. We examined this premise by measuring iron absorption from 50 mg radiolabeled ferrous sulfate in 23 female volunteer subjects divided into two groups. In the first group, a labeled ferrous sulfate supplement was given with water, and in the second group it was given with a rice-based meal. In both groups, absorption was measured in a randomized fashion twice in each subject, once with daily and once with weekly supplementation. Those tested for daily supplementation were given an iron supplement daily for 6 d before testing whereas those tested for weekly supplementation were given no iron for 6 d before testing. When the labeled iron supplement was given with water only, absorption averaged 8.5% with daily and 9.8% with weekly administration compared with 2.3% and 2.6%, respectively, when given with food. The 13% lower absorption observed with daily administration in both groups was not statistically significant (P > 0.20). These results indicate that there is no significant absorptive advantage in giving iron less often than once daily.
The Suicidal Success of Radiochemistry

During the few years prior to World War I the science of radiochemistry saw such notable advances that, in effect, it had no more questions to ask, and it was abandoned (except for applications). The group displacement laws offered a traffic pattern for the periodic table, indicating where the daughter products of alpha- and beta-decay should be placed. The concept of isotopy permitted more than one radioelement to exist in a given box of the periodic table. The paths to these great accomplishments were numerous and intertwined. Confirmation by atomic weight measurements was more direct, and equally stirring. Human interest is added to this story of outstanding theoretical and experimental achievement by charges of plagiarism of scientific ideas.
Simultaneous Localized Feature Selection and Model Detection for Gaussian Mixtures

In this paper, we propose a novel approach of simultaneous localized feature selection and model detection for unsupervised learning. In our approach, local feature saliency, together with other parameters of Gaussian mixtures, are estimated by Bayesian variational learning. Experiments performed on both synthetic and real-world data sets demonstrate that our approach is superior over both global feature selection and subspace clustering methods.
Simultaneous Decision‐Making in Competitive and Cooperative Environments

We experimentally investigate simultaneous decision‐making in two contrasting environments: one that encourages competition (lottery contest) and one that encourages cooperation (public good game). We find that simultaneous participation in the public good game affects behavior in the contest, decreasing sub‐optimal overbidding. Contributions to the public good are not affected by participation in the contest. The direction of behavioral spillover is explained by differences in strategic uncertainty and path‐dependence across games. Our design allows us to compare preferences for cooperation and competition. We find that in early periods, there is a negative correlation between decisions in competitive and in cooperative environments.
Automated XBT launcher for use on ships-of-opportunity

Currently the NOAA Volunteer Observing Ship network employs a large number of merchant vessels to make routine expendable bathythermograph (XBT) and meteorological measurements throughout the world's oceans. While these data have proven to be very useful there is a need to improve the quality and increase the density of the observations. The XBT profiles are frequently compromised due to the need to launch the probe from less than optimal locations on the ship. Also, the ship's officers can only commit a limited amount of time to this work which severely limits the number of XBT deployments. To prove the XBT measurements, an automated XBT launcher was designed and is currently being tested. It consists of a light weight, compact launcher mechanism which is linked to a personal computer that performs all control functions and logs data from the deployments. The launcher can be loaded with six probes and can be placed at any location on the ship. The deployments can then be made automatically at predetermined times or geographical positions as determined from a GPS navigation receiver. The system is currently being used for high density XBT surveys on a Mexican registered freighter running between Spain and Mexico.
Heitler-London Theory of Stereoselection

One important goal of this work is the development of qualitative VB theories which can be profitably applied to diverse chemical problems. For reasons that will become clear in this and future works, we define the following brands of Approximate HL (AHL) theory: a) AHL theory in which we set G and Rn equal to zero and we truncate each Tn and Un so that they include terms which are zero, first, or, second order in AO overlap. This brand of HL theory will be denoted by AHL*. b) AHL theory in which we set G and Rn equal to zero but we do not truncate Tn and Un. This brand of HL theory will be denoted by AHL°. c) AHL theory in which we set only Rn equal to zero and we truncate Tn and Un as indicated in (a). This brand of HL theory will be denoted by AHL≠. d) AHL theory in which we set Rn equal to zero but no further approximations are made. This will be simply referred to as AHL° theory.
Finding Good Elements for Focused Retrieval

This paper describes the integration of our methodology for the dynamic retrieval of XML elements [2] with traditional article retrieval to facilitate the Focused and the Relevant-in-Context Tasks of the INEX 2008 Ad Hoc Track. The particular problems that arise for dynamic element retrieval in working with text containing both tagged and untagged elements have been solved [3]. The current challenge involves utilizing its ability to produce a rank-ordered list of elements in the context of focused retrieval. Our system is based on the Vector Space Model [8]; basic functions are performed using the Smart experimental retrieval system [7]. Experimental results are reported for the Focused, Relevant-in-Context, and Best-in-Context Tasks of both the 2007 and 2008 INEX Ad Hoc Tracks. These results indicate that the goal of our 2008 investigations--namely, finding good focused elements in the context of the Wikipedia collection---has been achieved.
Input-Based Dynamic Reconfiguration of Approximate Arithmetic Units for Video Encoding

The field of approximate computing has received significant attention from the research community in the past few years, especially in the context of various signal processing applications. Image and video compression algorithms, such as JPEG, MPEG, and so on, are particularly attractive candidates for approximate computing, since they are tolerant of computing imprecision due to human imperceptibility, which can be exploited to realize highly power-efficient implementations of these algorithms. However, existing approximate architectures typically fix the level of hardware approximation statically and are not adaptive to input data. For example, if a fixed approximate hardware configuration is used for an MPEG encoder (i.e., a fixed level of approximation), the output quality varies greatly for different input videos. This paper addresses this issue by proposing a reconfigurable approximate architecture for MPEG encoders that optimizes power consumption with the goal of maintaining a particular Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) threshold for any video. Toward this end, we design reconfigurable adder/subtractor blocks (RABs), which have the ability to modulate their degree of approximation, and subsequently integrate these blocks in the motion estimation and discrete cosine transform modules of the MPEG encoder. We propose two heuristics for automatically tuning the approximation degree of the RABs in these two modules during runtime based on the characteristics of each individual video. Experimental results show that our approach of dynamically adjusting the degree of hardware approximation based on the input video respects the given quality bound (PSNR degradation of 1%–10%) across different videos while achieving a power saving up to 38% over a conventional nonapproximated MPEG encoder architecture. Note that although the proposed reconfigurable approximate architecture is presented for the specific case of an MPEG encoder, it can be easily extended to other DSP applications.
One Policy Makes No Difference

Absent a national commitment to a sustainable energy future with increased energy efficiency and reduced reliance on fossil fuels, the states began widespread adoption of renewable energy portfolio standards in the first years of the 21st century. In the five years since California adopted its aggressive renewables target in 2002, the pol icy has not decreased use of fossil fuels, despite large increases in wind and small hydro projects. This exploratory research investi gates the results of the portfolio adoption, examined through the lens of Rittel and Webber's wicked problem, with attention to incentives that can divert policy makers and implementers from progress to ward the objective of sustainability.
Overview of aircraft technology solutions compatible with the concept of mea

The purpose of this paper is to present some selected issues relating to the alternative application of the perspective concept on the plane board MEA (More Electric Aircraft), instead of the traditional solution, in terms of power (pneumatic and hydraulic systems). In the context of the analysis of this trend, particular attention is paid to the major advantages that aeroplanes have, made in accordance with the new technology and problems in autonomous systems of electricity generation (electric power grid of aircraft). Considering that the largest growth of the above trend of electric aircraft (MEA) applies to civil aviation, the most important role in this paper was assigned to civilian aircraft (Boeing, Airbus) in the context of power distribution in electro-energy systems. In addition, a review of air sources of electricity (electric power) generation was made for particular types of energy sources (generators, generator-starters, transformers, converters, etc.) and advanced on-board autonomous power systems ASE (Autonomous Electric Power Systems), used in most modern aircraft constructions (passenger and military aircraft). In the final part of this paper, based on a literature review of electric aircraft concepts (MEA) and a brief analysis, the main conclusions arising from the application of this trend in modern aviation are presented.
Optimal Design of Solenoid Actuated Butterfly Valves Dynamically Coupled in Series

In this effort, we present novel nonlinear modeling of two solenoid actuated butterfly valves subject to a sudden contraction and then develop an optimal configuration in the presence of highly coupled nonlinear dynamics. The valves are used in the so-called “Smart Systems” to be employed in a wide range of applications including bioengineering, medicine, and engineering fields. Typically, tens of the actuated valves are instantaneously operating to regulate the amount of flow and also to avoid probable catastrophic disasters which have been observed in the practice. We focus on minimizing the amount of energy used in the system as one of the most critical design criteria to yield an efficient operation. We optimize the actuation subsystems interacting with the highly nonlinear flow loads in order to minimize a lumped amount of energy consumed. The contribution of this work is to include coupled nonlinearities of electromechanical valve systems to optimize the actuation units. Stochastic, heuristic, and gradient based algorithms are utilized in seeking the optimal design of two configurations of solenoid actuated valves. The results indicate that substantial amount of energy can be saved by an intelligent design that helps select parameters carefully but also uses flow torques to augment the closing efforts.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Paroxyclaenidae, an Extinct Family of Eurasian Mammals

Six genera of small, persistently primitive Eocene and Oligocene mammals from Europe and Pakistan are referred to the Paroxyclaenidae. These genera have previously been placed in various families of the Carnivora and Condylarthra. Although adaptively similar to hyopsodont condylarths, the Paroxyclaenidae seem best derivable from early leptictid insectivores. Two new genera, Russellites and Dulcidon , are proposed, and Vulpavoides is made a synonym of Pugiodens .
Mortality of patients transferred to a tertiary care hospital.

BACKGROUND Seriously ill patients are often transferred from community hospitals to tertiary care hospitals. OBJECTIVES To review the numbers, sources, and outcomes of patients transferred to the Cleveland Clinic Hospital from 1989 through 1992. METHODS Retrospective analysis. RESULTS Compared with the Cleveland Clinic’s overall hospital mortality rate of 3.09% (3760 of 121 014 patients) during this period, the mortality rate among transferred patients was 8.26% (1092 of 13 226 patients). Although transferred patients accounted for only 10.9% of the total admissions, they represented 29.0% of the deaths. Transfers from other hospitals in the Cleve-land Health Quality Choice (HQC) program, a community-wide quality-assessment project, increased 40.2% in 1992 (during the initial data collection period for the HQC program), while those from non-HQC hospitals increased only 0.9%. CONCLUSIONS Patients transferred to a tertiary care hospital from other acute care hospitals have a 2.7-fold greater chance of dying in the hospital than nontransferred patients. Public scrutiny of quality may increase the likelihood of transfer of seriously ill patients to tertiary care centers.
Relative Significance of Direct Ingestion and Adult-Mediated Translocation of Bait to German Cockroach (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae) Nymphs

A novel experimental design that selectively excluded feeding of adults or nymphs on insecticidal baits was used to distinguish mortality caused by ingestion of bait from mortality caused by horizontal transfer of insecticide by foraging to non foraging cockroaches. In large cage laboratory assays and in apartments, exposure of Blattella germanica (L.) to an insecticidal bait containing hydramethylnon resulted in high mortality in adult females and 1st instars. However, exclusion of adult females from feeding on the bait resulted in a significant decline in mortality among nymphs, suggesting that neonate mortality was caused primarily by adult-mediated horizontal toxicant transfer through feces. A reciprocal experiment provided support for this hypothesis: Adult females with access to bait transferred insecticide to neonates that were prevented from feeding on bait, resulting in high mortality in both groups. Conversely, mortality among 2nd instars was high and significantly less dependent on adult foraging, suggesting a shift to active foraging (i.e., direct ingestion of bait) during the 2nd stadium. We conclude that horizontal toxicant transfer is a key factor in suppression of cockroach pest populations. Small nymphs, especially 1st instars, which forage infrequently and are therefore least vulnerable to direct contact with insecticides, are most susceptible to this type of insecticide translocation. Horizontal toxicant transfer should be optimized to deliver insecticides and pathogens to nonforaging stages of B. germanica .
Electrospun and Cross-Linked Nanofiber Composite Anion Exchange Membranes

A unique cross-linked nanofiber composite morphology was employed to create highly conductive and mechanically robust anion exchange membranes (AEMs) for alkaline fuel cells and electrodialysis separations. Chloromethylated polysulfone (CMPSF), the precursor for a tetramethylammonium ionomer, and an inert reinforcing polymer, poly(phenylsulfone) (PPSU), were simultaneously electrospun from separate spinnerets into dual fiber mats. The mats were processed into dense and defect-free nanofiber composite anion exchange membranes by cross-linking a portion of the chloromethyl groups in the CMPSF fibers with an aliphatic diamine, softening the PPSU so that it flowed and filled the void space around the CMPSF fibers, and quaternizing the remaining chloromethyl groups of CMPSF. The final network of ionomer fibers embedded in a PPSU matrix had a very high ion exchange capacity (3.1 mmol/g) but was insoluble in water due to the presence of cross-links. Membranes after processing were mechanically strong (in both th...
trans-Bis(acetonitrile-κN)bis(1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoropentane-2,4-dionato-κ2O,O′)nickel(II)

The title compound, [Ni(C5HF6O2)2(C2H3N)2], was obtained as an unintentional by-product in the reaction of Ni(hfac)2 (hfac is hexa­fluoro­acetyl­acetonate) with pyrazine N,N′-dioxide in acetonitrile. The mol­ecule is centrosymmetric and the ligands are trans to one another, with the NiII atom on a position with 2/m symmetry. The CF3 groups are in a symmetry-imposed eclipsed conformation. The acetonitrile methyl group is involved in weak non-classical C—H⋯O inter­molecular hydrogen bonding to the propane­dionate O atoms. This forms a chain synthon parallel to the b axis. The chains are further arranged into sheets parallel to the bc plane.
Concurrent versus sequential application of ferromagnetic hyperthermia and 125I brachytherapy of melanoma in an animal model.

Abstract OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of concurrent versus sequential ferromagnetic hyperthermia (FMH), combined with Iodine-125 (125I) brachytherapy, in the treatment of uveal melanoma in a rabbit model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A Greene melanoma cell line was implanted in rabbit eyes to establish a tumor model comparable to a uveal melanoma. Seventy-one tumor-containing rabbit eyes were treated with 125I brachytherapy at 20, 25, 35, 45, or 55 Gray (Gy)(38 eyes), and with either concurrent (15 eyes) or sequential (18 eyes) FMH, delivered at 48.2 degrees C for 1 hour. An additional 13 eyes were treated with FMH alone at 48.2 degrees C, either in a single heat application (5 eyes), or in a repetitive mode (8 eyes). The radiation and heat were delivered via an episcleral plaque. All tumors were followed with indirect ophthalmoscopy and echography. RESULTS: Tumors treated with 125I brachytherapy alone exhibited complete tumor regression in 50% of eyes at 42 Gy with none of the tumors responding to less than 35 Gy. FMH alone at 48.2 degrees C applied in one cycle limited tumor growth in 20% of eyes, while all eyes treated with repetitive heating exhibited complete tumor control. With concurrent application of FMH and 125I, the 50% tumor control rate occurred at 9.5 Gy, thus resulting in a thermal enhancement ratio (TER) of 4.4. With sequential treatment, the 50% tumor control rate was at 30 Gy, with a resultant TER of 1.4. No complications related to 125I brachytherapy were noted in any eyes, while transient retinal whitening was seen with the FMH. CONCLUSION: This study documents the enhanced synergistic interaction of concurrent FMH and 125I brachytherapy, compared to sequential treatment, in this rabbit melanoma model.
Prognostic Factors and Significance of Gastrointestinal Leak After Cytoreductive Surgery (CRS) with Heated Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC)

Background Gastrointestinal leak (GIL) after cytoreductive surgery with heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS/HIPEC) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to identify GIL prognostic factors and its impact on overall survival.
Role of Nanotechnology in Erectile Dysfunction Treatment.

Abstract Introduction The biological importance of nanotechnology-based delivery vehicles for in vivo tissue regeneration is gaining acceptance by the medical community; however, its relevance and incorporation into the treatment of sexual dysfunction are evolving and have not been well evaluated. Aim To provide scientific evidence examining the use of state-of-the-art nanotechnology-based delivery methodology in the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) in animal models and in patients. Methods This review assessed the current basic science literature examining the role of nanotechnology-based delivery vehicles in the development of potential ED therapies. Results There are four primary areas where nanotechnology has been applied for ED treatment: (i) topical delivery of drugs for on-demand erectile function, (ii) injectable gels into the penis to prevent morphologic changes after prostatectomy, (iii) hydrogels to promote cavernous nerve regeneration or neuroprotection, and (iv) encapsulation of drugs to increase erectile function (primarily of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors). Conclusion Basic science studies provide evidence for a significant and evolving role for nanotechnology in the development of therapies for ED and suggest that properly administered nano-based therapies might be advantageous for treating male sexual dysfunction.
Cracking processes affected by bedding planes in Opalinus shale with flaw pairs

Abstract Understanding the cracking processes of rock is important regarding the fundamental material behavior and in engineering applications. Characterizing and predicting the cracking processes in shale is necessary when assessing unconventional oil and gas reservoirs and designing nuclear waste repositories. Of particular interest is the effect of bedding planes on the cracking processes. For this reason we tested one such shale, Opalinus shale, in this study. A series of unconfined compression tests were conducted on prismatic specimens with two pre-existing flaws and various bedding plane orientations. High speed- and high resolution imagery were used to capture crack initiation, -propagation and -coalescence between the flaw pairs and study the effects of bedding plane orientation and flaw pair geometry. It was found that in specimens with bedding planes aligned perpendicularly to the maximum applied compressive stress, the effects of the flaw angle and flaw pair bridging angle on the cracking processes were similar to those observed in previously tested rocks without bedding planes. However, as the bedding planes became more aligned with the direction of the maximum compressive stress the cracks initiating at the flaw tips propagated more frequently along the bedding planes. This visual observation is unique as previous studies did not characterize, in real-time, cracking along bedding planes (weak surfaces). Hence, the results from this study contribute to the understanding of cracking in anisotropic rocks.
Big Data from the Ground Up: Mobile Maps and Geographic Knowledge

Consumer users of maps on mobile devices are producing noteworthy geographic knowledges in the contexts of their own lives that are distinct from those of professional data scientists. By leveraging the streaming nature of big data in mobile maps and zooming multiscalar views, consumer users' mobile map practices produce a popular, multiscalar form of visual geographic knowledge that is both enabled and limited by its big data assemblage and associated technologies. The first half of this article outlines the role of consumer user practices amidst spatial big data assemblages, not for volunteered geographic information or aggregate analysis but for contextual, everyday use. Consumer users and their knowledges are coconstituted through mobile map viewing and as materially limited technological practices. This article focuses specifically on the consumer users' concept of scale in this context, for Web-based maps' multiscalar views differentiate them from older maps. The second half analyzes mobile map cons...
Chapter 14 – A Perspective on the Cost of Cancer Care

Cancer, like many chronic diseases, imposes a heavy cost on the health-care enterprise. Although the most common calculation of this cost is in monetary units, the most salient toll may be in terms of the vulnerability of disease, caregiver burdens, loss of personhood, death, grief, etc. These are the costs hidden from the ledger of health-care expenditures and impose a moral agency upon the machinations that contribute to the high cost of care. This chapter explores ways to change institutional structures and achieve a more equitable health-care system with regard to the cost of chemotherapy.
Error Correction as an Instructional Technique

Ss were required to correct contextual errors in a narrative passage and were examined for retention of information presented at the error point, proximal to the error point (same sentence), and distal from the error point (sentences not containing errors). Detrimental effects were found when Ss were not told that errors existed. For Ss receiving error-set instructions performance was significantly lower for information presented proximal to error points than for that presented at distal loci. The apparent effectiveness of an experimental teaching program depends, in part, on the specific content of the criterion test.
Nonlinear Elastic Characterization of Carbon Fibers

The non-linear elastic behavior of a series of pitch-based graphite fibers was studied using the method of laser generated ultrasound. A Q-switched Nd-YAG laser was used to produce pulses which generated stress waves in the fibers. The velocity of the acoustic wave was determined from the time of flight of the wave at the point of impact to a piezoelectric transducer positioned near one end of each specimen. The effective Young's modulus of the fibers was determined for a wide range of static tensile stresses and varying temperatures. X-ray diffraction measurements were also made on these fibers, to determine such factors as crystallite size, orientation, and modulus. From these data, theoretical calculations of fiber modulus were performed, and the results compared to the ultrasonic modulus measurements. These results are useful for characterizing the elastic behavior of composites in which the fibers are used.
Modeling thermal inkjet and cell printing process using modified pseudopotential and thermal lattice Boltzmann methods

Pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann methods (LBMs) can simulate a phase transition in high-density ratio multiphase flow systems. If coupled with thermal LBMs through equation of state, they can be used to study instantaneous phase transition phenomena with a high-temperature gradient where only one set of formulations in an LBM system can handle liquid, vapor, phase transition, and heat transport. However, at lower temperatures an unrealistic spurious current at the interface introduces instability and limits its application in real flow system. In this study, we proposed new modifications to the LBM system to minimize a spurious current which enables us to study nucleation dynamic at room temperature. To demonstrate the capabilities of this approach, the thermal ejection process is modeled as one example of a complex flow system. In an inkjet printer, a thermal pulse instantly heats up the liquid in a microfluidic chamber and nucleates bubble vapor providing the pressure pulse necessary to eject droplets at high speed. Our modified method can present a more realistic model of the explosive vaporization process since it can also capture a high-temperature/density gradient at nucleation region. Thermal inkjet technology has been successfully applied for printing cells, but cells are susceptible to mechanical damage or death as they squeeze out of the nozzle head. To study cell deformation, a spring network model, representing cells, is connected to the LBM through the immersed boundary method. Looking into strain and stress distribution of a cell membrane at its most deformed state, it is found that a high stretching rate effectively increases the rupture tension. In other words, membrane deformation energy is released through creation of multiple smaller nanopores rather than big pores. Overall, concurrently simulating multiphase flow, phase transition, heat transfer, and cell deformation in one unified LB platform, we are able to provide a better insight into the bubble dynamic and cell mechanical damage during the printing process.
Huntington’s Disease and Other Polyglutamine Repeat Diseases: Molecular Mechanisms and Pathogenic Pathways

Abstract Polyglutamine diseases are inherited, fatal neurodegenerative disorders caused by genomic expansion of exonic cytosine–adenine–guanine (CAG) trinucleotide repeats. These diseases include Huntington’s disease, spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy, dentatorubral–pallidoluysian atrophy, and spinocerebellar ataxia types 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 17, each due to CAG expansion in a different gene. Common themes regarding mechanisms of neurodegeneration include protein aggregation, intracellular protein degradation systems, proteolytic processing, mitochondrial dysfunction, nuclear trafficking and subcellular localization, transcriptional dysregulation, and posttranslational modifications. Strategies for developing therapeutics for this class of neurodegenerative diseases include RNA interference, antisense oligonucleotides, zinc finger proteins, and genome editing.
Mechanical Strength and Reliability of Glass Fibers

This chapter reviews some of the important parameters of glass systems that can affect their mechanical behavior and mechanical reliability. The vast majority of commercial glasses are so-called multicomponent glasses that contain three to six oxide components. Although tellurium dioxide does not form a glass in its pure state, oxide glasses based on TeO 2 are found to have desirable light-emitting properties when doped with rare earth ions. Because of their atomic sizes, bond types, and bond strengths, oxide glasses show very strong optical absorptions in the near infrared (IR). Although the near-IR band edge may be moved somewhat further into the IR by using large heavy atoms in a silicate glass or by going to a germanium-based glass, to shift the band edge substantially, glasses based on anions other than oxygen are required. Many glasses are weaker when measured in ambient conditions compared to measurements in “inert” environments such as liquid nitrogen (77 K). The phenomenon causing this effect is termed fatigue. Most inorganic glasses show a time-dependent strength or delayed failure.
Predicting students' grades in computer science courses based on complexity measures of teacher's lecture notes

In the past, predicting students grades has been done primarily by looking at students past test scores, at their history [1, 2], by looking at their current notes and/or their note taking ability [3, 5], from surveys about various other aspects of their background, or by a combination of such factors [4, 6, 7]. In this paper a different approach is taken -- here, the complexity of the teacher's lecture notes is examined as a predictor of the students' grades. The results of this research indicate that simple measures such as total number of words in the lecture or total number of lines of code that appear in the lecture are not good predictors of students' grades; however, "buzzword density," or the total number of words with Computer Science meaning divided by the total number of words in the lecture does predict students' grades.
Angiotensin Converting Enzyme: Induction in Rabbit Alveolar Macrophages and Human Monocytes in Culture

The biochemical complexity of mononuclear phagocytes and its regulation by various chemical signals, as well as the rich molecular regulatory interchange among these and other cell types, has become increasingly recognized in recent years (20). Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) (E.C. 3.4.15.1, peptidyl dipeptidase) is a glycoprotein of about 150,000 daltons which catalyzes the cleavage of the carboxy-terminal dipeptide of the decapeptide angiotensin I to form the biological potent pressor octapeptide, angiotensin-II, as well as a similar cleavage which inactivates bradykinin (19). ACE has been shown in the rabbit to be localized predominantly at the lumenal surface of endothelial cells (10), and is strkingly increased in the pathological tissues and sera of patients with sarcoidosis (8,14–16) and Gaucher’s disease (9,12,18), which are associated with proliferation of mononuclear phagocytes. This observation suggested that ACE may be abundant in sarcoidosis epithelioid cells and Gaucher cells as the cause of the ACE elevation in these conditions. This hypothesis (11, 16) has been born out by our recent localization by immunofluorescence of abundant ACE in these cells but not in other granulo-matous controls using an anti-human lung ACE antibody prepared in rabbits with the aid of purified human lung ACE (2,13).
Visualizing Bioactive Ceramides

In the last 30 years, ceramides have been found to mediate a myriad of biological processes. Ceramides have been recognized as bioactive molecules and their metabolizing enzymes are attractive targets in cancer therapy and other diseases. The molecular mechanism of action of cellular ceramides are still not fully established, with insights into roles through modification of lipid rafts, creation of ceramide platforms, ceramide channels, or through regulation of direct protein effectors such as protein phosphatases and kinases. Recently, the 'Many Ceramides' hypothesis focuses on distinct pools of subcellular ceramides and ceramide species as potential defined bioactive entities. Traditional methods that measure changes in ceramide levels in the whole cell, such as mass spectrometry, fluorescent ceramide analogues, and ceramide antibodies, fail to differentiate specific bioactive species at the subcellular level. However, a few ceramide binding proteins have been reported, and a smaller subgroup within these, have been shown to translocate to ceramide-enriched membranes, revealing these localized pools of bioactive ceramides. In this review we want to discuss and consolidate these works and explore the possibility of defining these binding proteins as new tools are emerging to visualize bioactive ceramides in cells. Our goal is to encourage the scientific community to explore these ceramide partners, to improve techniques to refine the list of these binding partners, making possible the identification of specific domains that recognize and bind ceramides to be used to visualize the 'Many Ceramides' in the cell.
The Nexus of Public and Nonprofit Management

The fields of public administration and nonprofit management have experienced convergence over the past decades, particularly as academic programs, conferences, and journals in public administratio...
Market Access and the Concentration of Economic Activity in a System of Declining Cities

While the positive effect of market access (MA) on population and economic growth has shown to be robust, the results in the literature were obtained in a context of population growth. This article examines the impact that MA has on a system of cities that has suffered a negative population shock. An extended version of the Brezis and Krugman (1997) model of life cycle of cities predicts that a system of cities experiencing population loss will see a relative reorganization of its population from small to larger cities, increasing population concentration. Accordingly, cities with higher MA will lose relatively more. We confirm these predictions using multiple definitions of MA with a comprehensive sample of cities in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, a region with declining population growth since 1990.
IBA Formulation, Concentration, and Stock Plant Growth Stage Affect Rooting of Stem Cuttings of Viburnum rufidulum

Abstract Viburnum rufidulum Raf. (southern or rusty blackhaw) has potential to be a popular landscape plant as it is an attractive large shrub tolerant of many common landscape stresses. However, propagation difficulties have thus far limited wide scale use. Therefore, the influence of IBA formulation and concentration on adventitious rooting of stem cuttings of southern blackhaw taken at different stock plant growth stages throughout the year were investigated. Liquid formulations of the potassium salt (K-salt) of indolebutyric acid (K-IBA) at 0, 3000, 6000, or 9000 ppm (0, 0.3, 0.6, or 0.9%) as well as talc formulations of IBA at 1000, 3000, or 8000 ppm (0.1, 0.3 or 0.8%) were utilized. Talc formulations failed to stimulate rooting regardless of concentration or growth stage. A quick-dip of K-IBA increased rooting percentage at all growth stages. Softwood and hardwood cuttings had the highest rooting percentages. Hardwood cuttings treated with 6000 ppm (0.6%) or 9000 ppm (0.9%) rooted 90 and 100%, respe...
Formaldehyde Gas Sensor Based on Hybrid Film: Graphene/Enzyme

Through a simple fabrication process, we fabricate tiny and cheap formaldehyde gas sensor. To do that, we used the hybrid film that consists of Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) graphene and formaldehyde dehydrogenase (FALDH). Since graphene sensitively shows an electrical response with the concentration of hydrogen cation in the solution, the novel graphene-based gas sensors can quickly respond with formaldehyde gas. The sensor shows the response with a low concentration of formaldehyde gas up to ppb level. It also has a great selectivity for the formaldehyde gas because it is based on the enzyme reaction. The mechanism of the reaction can be clearly explained by chemical equations.
Adaptation to slope in locomotor-trained spinal cats with intact and self-reinnervated lateral gastrocnemius and soleus muscles

Spinal locomotor networks locomotor trained on a flat surface can adapt the locomotor output to slope walking, up to ±25° of slope, even with total absence of supraspinal CONTROL. Autogenic length ...
Experiential Learning and Cultural Competence: What Do Participants in Short-Term Experiences in Global Health Learn About Culture?

Abstract Purpose Short-term experiences in global health (STEGHs) have become a popular form of experiential learning in health professions education and provide an ideal setting to introduce the role of culture in health. Critics of the concept of cultural competence fear that learners will treat culture as a simplistic list of traits that denies the fluidity of culture and obscures other factors that contribute to health. To reduce disparities, they say, health professionals should approach culture in context. The purpose of this study was to explore how returning STEGH participants view the role of culture in health and apply it to subsequent clinical encounters. Method The authors convened focus groups of graduate students recently returned from three different STEGHs at a single health sciences institution. They used directed content analysis on the transcripts to identify student insights about how culture affected interactions with patients and clients in the host country and upon return to the United States. Results Focus group participants did not form strong impressions of the specific culture where they traveled. Two broad themes emerged about the role of culture in health and health care delivery: taking less resource-intensive approaches to treatment and recognizing the importance of culturally appropriate communication in health care delivery. Discussion Health professions students participating in these STEGHs did not demonstrate a view of culture as a static list of traits. Rather, their understanding of culture included an acknowledgement of structural conditions that affect the availability of resources and the need to avoid making assumptions about patients.
Assessment of Chlorella vulgaris, Scenedesmus obliquus, and Oocystis minuta for removal of sulfate, nitrate, and phosphate in wastewater

Application of wastewater for algal biomass production can not only lead to production of thousands of tons of biomass for subsequent biofuel production, but also can provide for significant removal of contaminants in wastewater. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the growth, contaminant removal, and biochemical component (lipid, carbohydrate, and protein) accumulation potential of Chlorella vulgaris, Scenedesmus obliquus, and Oocystis minuta cells in wastewater supplemented with different concentrations of sulfate, nitrate, and phosphate. The results show maximum biomass productivity of 33, 19, and 98 mg dw/L/d for C. vulgaris, S. obliquus, and O. minuta, respectively. Phosphate removal (more than 90%) was highest in the culture with O. minuta; about 93% nitrate was removed by C. vulgaris, and the highest sulfate removal of 36% was observed in the culture with S. obliquus. The biochemical composition of the microalgae cells is in the ranges of 22–65% carbohydrate, 19–38% protein, and 8–17% lipid. This indicates that carbohydrate and protein are preferentially accumulated as compared to lipids under the growth conditions investigated for each of the microalgae strains.
Vertical extensions of galactic spiral arms

The vertical structure of the large scale galactic shock along spiral arms is studied in order to understand the extended features or the wings of spiral arms observed by Kepner (1970) and recently checked by Soukup (1979). Numerical calculations of two-dimensional gas flow were performed for two models of the gas. The results show that the shock front, standing perfectly perpendicular to the galactic plane, extends impressively above the scale height of the interstellar gas. In the extreme case of isothermal gas, the shock solution exists at any distance from the plane. In a realistic model in which the kinetic temperature of the gas is stratified, increasing with height, the shock can extend up to 700 pc. For both models, although the velocity component perpendicular to the galactic plane is small, the solutions corresponding to layered one-dimensional flow contain no shocks at such heights. In order to study the geometry of the shock front and the flow pattern near it, a simplified model is adopted, in which the Coriolis force is neglected. However, estimates show that including it will enhance the shock strength. The compression at the shock front makes the gas observable at high latitudes.
Choose your own training adventure: designing a gamified SETA artefact for improving information security and privacy through interactive storytelling

Online self-disclosure (OSD) on social networking sites can leave individuals and organisations vulnerable to security threats. Following a design science research (DSR) method, we created a gamifi...
Quinidine hypersensitivity: a side effect of a forgotten antiarrhythmic.

Quinidine is one of the oldest antiarrhythmics known. Over the years, its use has decreased along with its side effects. Our case describes a 69-year-old woman with recurrent resistant ventricular tachycardia on Quinidine and Amiodarone who presented with acute liver toxicity. Drug-induced liver toxicity was at the top of our differential diagnosis list. Taking multiple factors into consideration, a decision was made to discontinue Quinidine, the patient’s symptoms and lab abnormalities resolved within 1 week, yielding the diagnosis of Quinidine hypersensitivity.
Hostility predicts mortality but not recurrent acute coronary syndrome

Background:Hostility is associated with greater risk for cardiac disease, cardiac events and dysrhythmias. Investigators have reported equivocal findings regarding the association of hostility with...
Exposure to Same-Race or Same-Ethnicity Teachers and Advanced Math Course-Taking in High School: Evidence from a Diverse Urban District:

Background/ContextResearch links advanced mathematics course-taking to important later outcomes, including college graduation and earnings, yet many students fail to progress into higher math cours...
Melanoma brain metastasis presentation, treatment, and outcomes in the age of targeted and immunotherapies

BACKGROUND Historically, the prognosis for patients who have melanoma brain metastasis (MBM) has been dismal. However, breakthroughs in targeted and immunotherapies have improved long-term survival in those with advanced melanoma. Therefore, MBM presentation, prognosis, and the use of multimodality central nervous system (CNS)-directed treatment were reassessed. METHODS In this retrospective study, the authors evaluated patients with MBM who received treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center between 2010 and 2019. Kaplan-Meier methodology was used to describe overall survival (OS). Recursive partitioning analysis and time-dependent multivariable Cox modeling were used to assess prognostic variables and to associate CNS-directed treatments with OS. RESULTS Four hundred twenty-five patients with 2488 brain metastases were included. The median OS after an MBM diagnosis was 8.9 months (95% CI, 7.9-11.3 months). Patients who were diagnosed with MBM between 2015 and 2019 experienced longer OS compared to those who were diagnosed between 2010 and 2014 (OS, 13.0 months [95% CI, 10.47-17.06 months] vs 7.0 months [95% CI, 6.1-8.3 months]; P = .0003). Prognostic multivariable modeling significantly associated shortened OS independently with leptomeningeal dissemination (P < .0001), increasing numbers of brain metastases at diagnosis (P < .0001), earlier MBM diagnosis year (P = .0008), higher serum levels of lactate dehydrogenase (P < .0001), receipt of immunotherapy before MBM diagnosis (P = .003), and the presence of extracranial disease (P = .02). The use of different CNS-directed treatment modalities was associated with presenting symptoms, diagnosis year, number and size of brain metastases, and the presence of extracranial disease. Multivariable analysis demonstrated improved survival for patients who underwent craniotomy (P = .01). CONCLUSIONS The prognosis for patients with MBM has improved within the last 5 years, coinciding with the approval of PD-1 immune checkpoint blockade and combined BRAF/MEK targeting. Improving survival reflects and may influence the willingness to use aggressive multimodality treatment for MBM. LAY SUMMARY Historically, melanoma brain metastases (MBM) have carried a poor survival prognosis of 4 to 6 months; however, the introduction of immunotherapy and targeted precision medicines has altered the survival curve for advanced melanoma. In this large, single-institution, contemporary cohort, the authors demonstrate a significant increase in survival of patients with MBM to 13 months within the last 5 years of the study. A worse prognosis for patients with MBM was significantly associated with the number of metastases at diagnosis, previous exposure to immunotherapy, spread of disease to the leptomeningeal compartment, serum lactate dehydrogenase elevation, and the presence of extracranial disease. The current age of systemic treatments has also been accompanied by shifts in the use of central nervous system-directed therapies.
The Partnership Audit Rules Start to Take Shape

As part of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (BBA), Congress repealed the unified partnership audit rules and the audit rules for electing large partnerships (ELPs) and replaced them with a new audit regime (the BBA audit rules). The BBA audit rules generally are effective for audits of partnership returns for tax years beginning after 2017. The BBA audit rules are a dramatic departure from the TEFRA/unified partnership audit rules. Extensive proposed regulations were issued in June 2017 and consist of 277 pages of detailed guidance on many of the BBA audit rules. The regulations are complex and tedious to work through and do not address all the new BBA audit rules. They are, however, well thought out and drafted and contain a certain symmetry that carries through all aspects of the regulations that should be beneficial in reaching final regulations that are workable to implement legislation that was perhaps not so well thought out. This article sets forth the rules for partnership audits based on the authorities issued to date as the BBA audit rules start to take shape.