cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reconciling cultural diversity with a democratic community: Mestizaje as opposed to the usual suspects

A fascinating development within the liberal‐communitarian debate is how to deal with cultural diversity in increasingly heterogeneous democracies. Particularly noteworthy are Will Kymlicka's recasting of liberalism to deal with cultural minorities, especially the indigenous peoples of Canada and Charles Taylor's and Michael Walzer's articulation of a ‘deep diversity’ with regard to the federal relationship of Quebec to Canada as a whole. Both approaches, though, insufficiently address how combinations of cultures have been underway in the Americas for the past 500 years. Instead, I contend that mestizaje, the combination of cultures which has ensued in Mexico and the United States Southwest, articulates a ‘unity in diversity’ in which cultures transform each other without culminating in assimilation. To bolster my exegesis of mestizaje from the works of the Virgil Elizondo and Gloria Anzaldua, I accent how Jeremy Waldron's cosmopolitanism, Iris Marion Young's relational group theory, and Homi Bhabha's hy...
Optimal Distributed Estimation in Clustered Sensor Networks

In a clustered, multi-hop sensor network, a large number of inexpensive, geographically-distributed sensor nodes each make measurements of a source, quantize them into binary sequences, and transmit them over one or more wireless hops to the clusterhead. When all local measurement data has been gathered by the clusterhead, it fuses them into a final estimate about the source. Two sources of error affect the clusterhead's final estimate: (i) local measurement errors made by the sensor nodes because of noisy measurements or unreliable sensors; and (ii) bit errors affecting each hop on the wireless communication channel. Previous work assumed error-free communication or a single-hop cluster. We propose an optimal estimate that accounts for both of these sources of error. We show that this estimate significantly outperforms schemes that consider only the measurement error noise-both in terms of error counts and mean square error.
Multiple fault detection in fan-out free circuits using minimal single fault test set

This paper presents a new algorithm to generate test sets for single stuck-at faults, which also detect all multiple stuck-at faults in fan-out-free circuits. This algorithm derives the test set for each node in a fan-out-free circuit by calculating the output count of the node. The output count indicates the number of test patterns needed to check for all faults in the corresponding subcircuit. The fan-out-free circuit can be any combination of AND, OR, NOT, NAND, and NOR gates.
Engaging Students in Authentic Microbiology Research in an Introductory Biology Laboratory Course is Correlated with Gains in Student Understanding of the Nature of Authentic Research and Critical Thinking

Recent recommendations for biology education highlight the role of authentic research experiences early in undergraduate education as a means of increasing the number and quality of biology majors. These experiences will inform students on the nature of science, increase their confidence in doing science, as well as foster critical thinking skills, an area that has been lacking despite it being one of the desired outcomes at undergraduate institutions and with future employers. With these things in mind, we have developed an introductory biology laboratory course where students design and execute an authentic microbiology research project. Students in this course are assimilated into the community of researchers by engaging in scholarly activities such as participating in inquiry, reading scientific literature, and communicating findings in written and oral formats. After three iterations of a semester-long laboratory course, we found that students who took the course showed a significant increase in their understanding of the nature of authentic research and their level of critical thinking skills.
Whose Country, Whose Soldiers, Whose Responsibility? First World War Ex-Servicemen and the Development of the Irish Free State, 1923–1939

How new states dealt with minority populations and developed (or failed to develop) strong and secure government institutions are significant research areas in the history of states born in the aftermath of the First World War. This article examines how Irish First World War veterans served as transitional figures during the state-building phase of the Irish Free State in the 1920s and 1930s. Though they are often presented as categorically maligned or forgotten victims of a period of rising nationalism, this article argues that the ex-servicemen, despite the imperial legacies they represented, were popularly supported during the 1920s and early 1930s, and even served as vehicles through which the Free State cemented its stability and defined its independence and obligations in the international and domestic arenas.
Real-time pulse arrival detection in the presence of white Gaussian noise

A stochastic model is considered in which the observable signal is a stochastic process defined as the additive combination of a pulse with a random arrival time and a white Gaussian process. It is assumed that the probability density function of the arrival time is known. The concern is to detect the arrival of the pulse based on an observation set which terminates as soon as the arrival of the pulse is announced. A technique for achieving this goal is to apply the observed signal to an appropriate nonlinear filter and monitor its output until a certain criterion is met. Two such criteria are proposed and expressions for their associated filtering schemes are determined. In general, it is difficult to obtain exact implementable filters to recursively determine these expressions, thus under certain assumptions, an approximate filtering scheme is proposed.
Discovery and annotation of functional chromatin signatures in the human genome.

Transcriptional regulation in human cells is a complex process involving a multitude of regulatory elements encoded by the genome. Recent studies have shown that distinct chromatin signatures mark a variety of functional genomic elements and that subtle variations of these signatures mark elements with different functions. To identify novel chromatin signatures in the human genome, we apply a de novo pattern-finding algorithm to genome-wide maps of histone modifications. We recover previously known chromatin signatures associated with promoters and enhancers. We also observe several chromatin signatures with strong enrichment of H3K36me3 marking exons. Closer examination reveals that H3K36me3 is found on well-positioned nucleosomes at exon 5′ ends, and that this modification is a global mark of exon expression that also correlates with alternative splicing. Additionally, we observe strong enrichment of H2BK5me1 and H4K20me1 at highly expressed exons near the 5′ end, in contrast to the opposite distribution of H3K36me3-marked exons. Finally, we also recover frequently occurring chromatin signatures displaying enrichment of repressive histone modifications. These signatures mark distinct repeat sequences and are associated with distinct modes of gene repression. Together, these results highlight the rich information embedded in the human epigenome and underscore its value in studying gene regulation.
Staminal Evolution in the Genus Salvia (Lamiaceae): Molecular Phylogenetic Evidence for Multiple Origins of the Staminal Lever

†Background and Aims The genus Salvia has traditionally included any member of the tribe Mentheae (Lamiaceae) with only two stamens and with each stamen expressing an elongate connective. The recent demonstration of the non-monophyly of the genus presents interesting implications for staminal evolution in the tribe Mentheae. In the context of a molecular phylogeny, the staminal morphology of the various lineages of Salvia and related genera is characterized and an evolutionary interpretation of staminal variation within the tribe Mentheae is presented. †Methods Two molecular analyses are presented in order to investigate phylogenetic relationships in the tribe Mentheae and the genus Salvia. The first presents a tribal survey of the Mentheae and the second concentrates on Salvia and related genera. Schematic sketches are presented for the staminal morphology of each major lineage of Salvia and related genera. †Key Results These analyses suggest an independent origin of the staminal elongate connective on at least three different occasions within the tribe Mentheae, each time with a distinct morphology. Each independent origin of the lever mechanism shows a similar progression of staminal change from slight elongation of the connective tissue separating two fertile thecae to abortion of the posterior thecae and fusion of adjacent posterior thecae. A monophyletic lineage within the Mentheae is characterized consisting of the genera Lepechinia, Melissa, Salvia, Dorystaechas, Meriandra, Zhumeria, Perovskia and Rosmarinus. †Conclusions Based on these results the following are characterized: (1) the independent origin of the staminal lever mechanism on at least three different occasions in Salvia, (2) that Salvia is clearly polyphyletic, with five other genera intercalated within it, and (3) staminal evolution has proceeded in different ways in each of the three lineages of Salvia but has resulted in remarkably similar staminal morphologies.
Nutritional and Developmental Regulation of Insulin-like Growth Factors in Fish

The insulin-like growth factors (IGF) are evolutionarily ancient growth factors present in all vertebrates. The central importance of IGF for normal development and growth has been illustrated by the severe growth-retarded phenotype exhibited by IGF-I, IGF-II or IGF-I receptor "knockout" mice. Although we know much about the gross effects of IGF on the overall size of the fetus and the clinical manifestations that result from fetal and neonatal deficiency of IGF (i.e., severe growth retardation leads to dwarfism), very little is known about the in vivo actions of IGF during embryogenesis at the cellular and molecular levels. Most research on the developmental role of IGF has relied on rodent models, and attempts to elucidate the molecular and cellular basis of IGF actions have been hampered by the inaccessibility of the mammalian fetus enclosed in the uterus. During the past decade, there has been growing support for the concept that the IGF have been highly conserved in all vertebrates. Both IGF-I and IGF-II are present in fish, and their structures are highly conserved. Human and fish IGF-I are equally potent in mammalian and fish bioassay systems. Insulin-like growth factor mRNA is found in all life stages of fish, ranging from unfertilized egg to adult. The temporal and spatial expression patterns of fish IGF-I seem to be similar to those in mammals. Nutritional status and growth hormone both have a profound effect on IGF-I expression in fish, as they do in mammals. These features suggest that the IGF system is highly conserved between teleost fish and mammals. Because fish embryos develop externally, they provide excellent animal models for understanding the regulatory roles of IGF, IGF receptor and IGF-binding proteins in vertebrate embryonic development. Current research on the developmental and nutritional roles of IGF in fish will undoubtedly contribute to knowledge of the basic physiology of vertebrates in general.
Information Asymmetry and the Use of Accounts Receivable Backed Debt

This study provides evidence that firms exploit the unique information characteristics of the balance sheet asset accounts receivable (AR) to mitigate information asymmetry when raising debt. Information on AR pertains to the firm’s customers, thereby reducing the informational advantage borrowers have over outsiders concerning this asset’s value, relative to the firm’s other assets. I find that the likelihood of using different forms of AR backed debt increases with multiple measures of firm’s information asymmetry after controlling for its credit risk profile. These results hold when analyzing a subset of firms using a specific form of AR backed debt – securitization – against a sample matched on credit risk profile. Finally, I provide evidence that the firm’s customers’ information asymmetry mitigates the effect of borrowers’ information asymmetry on the likelihood of using AR to back debt.
Partitioning the Apical Domain of the Arabidopsis Embryo Requires the BOBBER1 NudC Domain Protein

The apical domain of the embryo is partitioned into distinct regions that will give rise to the cotyledons and the shoot apical meristem. In this article, we describe a novel screen to identify Arabidopsis thaliana embryo arrest mutants that are defective in this partitioning, and we describe the phenotype of one such mutant, bobber1. bobber1 mutants arrest at the globular stage of development, they express the meristem-specific SHOOTMERISTEMLESS gene throughout the top half of the embryo, and they fail to express the AINTEGUMENTA transcript normally found in cotyledons. Thus, BOBBER1 is required to limit the extent of the meristem domain and/or to promote the development of the cotyledon domains. Based on expression of early markers for apical development, bobber1 mutants differentiate protodermis and undergo normal early apical development. Consistent with a role for auxin in cotyledon development, BOBBER1 mutants fail to express localized maxima of the DR5:green fluorescent protein reporter. BOBBER1 encodes a protein with homology to the Aspergillus nidulans protein NUDC that has similarity to protein chaperones, indicating a possible role for BOBBER1 in synthesis or transport of proteins involved in patterning the Arabidopsis embryo.
A technique for reducing the numerical dispersion of conditionally and unconditionally stable FDTD methods

We present an approach to reduce the numerical dispersion of the FDTD method for its conditionally and unconditionally stable implementations. Significant reduction of the numerical error is achieved in a wide frequency band and for low spatial sampling rates. The cancellation of the numerical dispersion errors is achieved by the proposed combination of second order and higher order finite-difference approximations for the spatial derivatives of Maxwellpsilas equations. Also, the proposed update schemes are more accurate and faster than the corresponding higher order FDTD schemes for the same time-space discretization. Finally, test examples are provided for validation and verification purposes.
A Nonheme High-Spin Ferrous Pool in Mitochondria Isolated from Fermenting: Saccharomyces cerevisiae †

Mossbauer spectroscopy was used to detect pools of Fe in mitochondria from fermenting yeast cells, including those consisting of nonheme high-spin (HS) FeII species, FeIII nanoparticles, and mononuclear HS FeIII species. At issue was whether these species were located within mitochondria or on their exterior. None could be removed by washing mitochondria extensively with ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid or bathophenanthroline sulfonate (BPS), FeII chelators that do not appear to penetrate mitochondrial membranes. However, when mitochondrial samples were sonicated, BPS coordinated the FeII species, forming a low-spin FeII complex. This treatment also diminished the levels of both FeIII species, suggesting that all of these Fe species are encapsulated by mitochondrial membranes and are protected from chelation until membranes are disrupted. 1,10-Phenanthroline is chemically similar to BPS but is membrane soluble; it coordinated nonheme HS FeII in unsonicated mitochondria. Further, the HS FeIII species and n...
The Geographer's Craft: Teaching GIS in the Web

The Geographer's Craft is a two-semester course introducing GIS and geographic research methods using active-learning, problem-solving techniques. All of the materials for the course were developed in hypertext form in the World-Wide Web (WWW). The organization of this electronic textbook and laboratory manual is explained and related to principles for using the WWW to enrich GIS education. Teaching strategies are discussed as are lessons learnt in developing hypertext courseware. The value of enlisting student participation in the development process is stressed. Note is made of the ways in which Web-based materials may lead to the emergence of distance of education programmes in GIS. The project homepage is http://www.utexas.edu/depts/grg/gcraft/contents.html
Stabilizing the agricultural frontier: Leveraging REDD with biofuels for sustainable development

We evaluate the potential of a proposed policy model that would explicitly link the cultivation of biofuels with forest conservation (Biofuel þ FC ) as part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The model postulates that a ratio of 4:1 forest conservation to biofuel cultivation be linked to proposals for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD þ Biofuel ), while a ratio of 9:1 biofuel cultivation to reforestation on degraded landscape (RDL þ Biofuel ) be linked to the afforestation/ reforestation component of the Clean Development Mechanism. Both biofuel production options would be limited to the cultivation of woody perennial biofuel species on low biomass landscapes in order to maximize the carbon benefits of the proposed policy model. The potential to conserve forest, avoid GHG emissions, improve carbon sequestration, and produce renewable energy are evaluated by an illustrative model for five case studies (Para´ e Brazil, East Kalimantan e Indonesia, Madagascar, Colombia and Liberia). The Biofuel þ FC policy model is then compared with three counterfactual scenarios: REDD Alone with no biofuel cultivation; Biofuel Alone with expanded biofuel cultivation in the absence of REDD and a Most Likely scenario where REDD and biofuel cultivation are implemented without explicit regulatory linkages. The proposed policy model would leverage forest carbon with biofuel markets, which would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and conserve biodiversity, as well as improve human welfare in developing countries, a winewinewin strategy for sustainable development.
Formal verification of the MetaH executive using linear hybrid automata

MetaH is a language and toolset for the development of real time high assurance software. There is an associated executive that is automatically configured by the tools to perform the task and message scheduling specified for an application. Linear hybrid automata are finite state automata augmented with real-valued variables. Transitions between discrete states may be conditional on the values of these variables and may reassign variables. These variables can be used to model real time and accumulated task compute time as well as program variables. We developed a concurrent linear hybrid automata model for that portion of the MetaH executive software that implements task scheduling and time partitioning. A reachability analysis was performed to verify selected properties for a selected set of application configurations. The approach combines aspects of testing and verification and automates much of the modeling and analysis. There are limits on the degree of assurance that can be provided, but the approach may be more thorough and less expensive than some traditional testing methods.
Video Analytics in Urban Environments

Urban environments present unique challenges from the perspective of surveillance and security. Threat activity in urban environments tends to be very similar to background activity, while the volume of activity is often very high. The widespread geographical area presents issues from the perspective of response. These characteristics of urban environments create challenges to traditional applications of video analytics technologies and opens up opportunities for novel approaches. This paper explores the applicability of video analytics in various scenarios presented in urban surveillance situations. We also describe novel technical solutions to some of the challenges of urban surveillance.
Is the Sky Falling?: Questioning the Conventional Wisdom on the U.S. Trade and Budget Deficits

The fixation on balancing the federal budget deficit may be self-destructive, argues this economist. Washington is not making the right choices.
Clinical and 22-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test symptom patterns in primary headache disorder patients presenting to otolaryngologists with “sinus” headaches, pain or pressure

Background The objective of this work was to study patient and 22-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) characteristics in primary headache disorders (PHDs). Methods Retrospective chart review of “sinus” headache/pressure/pain patients was conducted. Patients that had rhinosinusitis excluded (negative endoscopy/computed tomography [CT]), and neurologist-confirmed PHD were studied. Patterns in symptom and SNOT-22 items were analyzed by network visualization and cluster analysis. Results Forty-six patients met study criteria. Forty-three (93.5%) reported “need to blow nose” and 40 (86.9%) reported postnasal drainage. Sneezing was reported by 37 (80.4%) patients, “blockage/congestion of nose” by 33 (71.8%), and “runny nose by 32 (69.6%) patients. The median SNOT-22 score was 54 (interquartile range [IQR], 40 to 63). Past history included neurological diagnoses (60%), rhinologic disease (39%; chronic rhinosinusitis [CRS], rhinitis, recurrent acute sinusitis), asthma (28%), and allergen-sensitivity (26%). Previous sinonasal surgery had been performed in 41%. Network layout and cluster analysis identified 2 patient clusters and 2 symptom clusters. Two-thirds (31) of patients formed a tight cluster (cluster 1) linking to a symptom cluster of psychosocial items wrapped tightly with “facial pain/pressure.” The remaining one-third of patients (cluster 2) linked to rhinologic symptoms loosely grouped away from “facial pressure/pain.” In contrast to patients in cluster 2, patients in cluster 1 were predominantly female (p < 0.04), had significantly higher (p < 0.0001) median SNOT-22 scores (60 vs 34; IQR, 53 to 67 vs 17 to 42), were more likely to have migraine history (p = 0.058), and reported being “sad” (p < 0.0001) or “embarrassed” (p < 0.006). Conclusion Prominent rhinologic symptoms can be present in PHD patients in the absence of rhinosinusitis. In particular, high symptom-burden/SNOT-22 scores and high psychosocial symptoms should raise suspicion of PHD when endoscopy and/or CT results do not correlate with symptoms.
A stable semi-discrete central scheme for the two-dimensional incompressible Euler equations

We derive a second-order, semi-discrete central-upwind scheme for the incompressible 2D Euler equations in the vorticity formulation. The reconstructed velocity field preserves an exact discrete incompressibility relation. We state a local maximum principle for a fully discrete version of the scheme and prove it using a convexity argument. We then show how similar convexity arguments can be used to prove that the scheme maps certain Orlicz spaces into themselves. The consequences of this result on the convergence of the scheme are discussed. Numerical simulations support the expected properties of the scheme.
Existence of Multiple Solutions of Semilinear Elliptic Equations in R N

We study the existence of multiple solutions of semilinear elliptic equations in R N with growth of nonlinearities below the critical Sobolev exponent.
Cranberry Products for the Prophylaxis of Urinary Tract Infections in Pediatric Patients

Objective: To evaluate the existing data regarding the use of cranberry products for the prevention of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in pediatric patients. Data Sources: A literature search of Medline databases from 1966 to June 2015 was conducted. Study Selection and Data Extraction: The databases were searched using the terms “pediatrics,” “children,” “cranberry,” “cranberry juice,” and “urinary tract infections.” The identified trials were then searched for additional references applicable to this topic. Data Synthesis: A total of 8 clinical trials were identified that examined the use of cranberry products, mostly juice, for the prevention of UTIs in children. Three trials examined the use in otherwise healthy children. Five trials examined the use in pediatric patients with underlying urogenital abnormalities of which 2 compared cranberry to antibiotics. In healthy pediatric patients, cranberry use was associated with a reduction in the overall number of UTIs and a decrease in the number of antibio...
PRIVILEGED ACCESS AND QUALIA

In this paper I shall examine some recent literature that purports to show that sensations or qualia are not real psychological phenomena, and that we do not have privileged access to our psychological states. In particular, I shall criticize some work by Daniel C. Dennett, who has argued against the existence of qualia and privileged access to the mental. I will maintain that Dennett has not made a convincing case for eliminating qualia, and has not shown that we do not have privileged access to psychological phenomena from a first-person point of view.
An ESA Branch Meeting with International Aspects

The Southwestern Branch was created as a Branch of the American Association of Economic Entomologists in 1951. When the Association merged with the Entomological Society of America 2 years later, the Southwestern group became a Branch of the Entomological Society of America, which was retained as the name for the two merged Societies. Since its creation in 1951, the Branch has consisted of all members in Mexico, except those in Sonora, Sinaloa and Baja California, and those in the States of Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. According to R. H. Nelson, Executive Secretary, ESA, approximately 40 members of the parent Society reside in Mexico. Some of the membership consists of USDA and other personnel from the States, but most of is made up of entomologists from Mexican governmental agencies, educational institutions and industry.
The Role of Supervisory Support and Union Commitment in Predicting Change Acceptance

Faced with major turbulence in the economic environment, organizations in all sectors have embraced restructuring and change initiatives as a means of survival. We examined the employee acceptance of such a major workplace change using data collected before and after the change from 208 United States Postal Service employees. The change involved did not primarily or initially come from the employer, but rather was proposed by an external influence, in this case the union, which also helped implement it. The change also modified the organizational hierarchy in the workplace by instituting a new bargaining unit position between the employees and their supervisors. Using social exchange and commitment theories as our conceptual framework, we developed and tested hypotheses concerning the impact of union commitment, both directly and incrementally, over affective organizational commitment, on employee change acceptance. We also hypothesized that supervisory support would moderate the relationship between unio...
Breeding habitat of the Mexican spotted owl in the Tularosa Mountains, New Mexico

We studied nest and roost habitat characteristics of Mexican Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis lucida) in the Tularosa Mountains, New Mexico. Owls selected both nesting and roosting sites in mixed-conifer forests that contained an oak (Quercus sp.) component more frequently than expected by chance. With the exception of one cliff site, no owls were observed using pinon pine (Pinus edulis)/alligator juniper (Juniperus deppeana) woodlands for nesting or roosting. Owls selected nest and roost sites in forests characterized by mature (dbh > 45.5 cm) trees with high variation in tree heights and canopy closure >75%. Because we found little difference between nest microsites and their surrounding forest patches, the presence of a suitable nest structure may have determined nest-site selection within nest stands. Characteristics that best described nest sites in the Tularosa Mountains were also applicable to Mexican Spotted Owl nest sites in surrounding mountains. Seventy-five percent (n = 28) of nests were in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), and 61% (n = 28) of nest structures were on clumps of limbs caused by dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium sp.) infections. Nest trees averaged 163.7 years of age (SD = 44.8) and 60.6 cm in diameter (SD = 22.4).
An Antidiuretic Substance Present in the Urine of Dehydrated Rats

ConclusionAn antidiuretic substance can be obtained from the urine of dehydrated rats. This substance is not present in significant quantities in the urine of non-dehydrated rats. Its action upon water diuresis is similar to that of pitressin, though we cannot say that it is pitressin.
Modeling Bar Slip in Nonductile Reinforced Concrete Columns

AbstractBar slip deformations in reinforced concrete frame structures cause additional flexibility at the boundaries of beams and columns due to penetration of rebar strain into the joints and footings. There are several available analytical models that estimate bar slip deformations, many of which have difficulties capturing the bar slip deformations that occur after flexural-axial damage. A new methodology is proposed to effectively account for bar slip deformations within the existing elements of an analytical model, without increasing the complexity of the system. This new method shows good agreement with previous experimental results and was successfully used in large-scale hybrid simulations. A series of hybrid simulations were conducted involving full-scale concrete columns instrumented to measure the bar slip deformations. The results of these tests, along with previous experimental studies, are used to develop a new model for the slip of rebar embedded in concrete. The proposed bar slip model is ...
Congenital Syphilis Presenting Caused Congenital Nephrotic Syndrome in 5 Children

Objective To study clinical features,diagnosis,therapy and prognosis of congenital nephrotic syndrome(CNS)caused by congenital syphilis.Method Five cases diagnosed as congenital syphilis with CNS in Beijing children's hospital from 2000 to 2006 were identified and retrospectively analyzed,including the clinical manifestation,diagnosis,treatment and prognosis.Results The ages of children ranged from 21 days to 5 months,averaging 2.8 months.All the 5 children had syphilis contact history,abdominal distention,edema as the main symptoms,which was in line with CNS major diagnostic criteria.All of the patients were associated with hepatosplenomegaly,and 80% with varying degrees of skin rash,peeling and anemia.Three cases of adequate penicillin therapy got better effects without hormone treatment,and the prognosis was good;1 case with lung infection died,and 1 case was out of contact after discharge.Conclusions For children with early nephropathy syndrome accompanied by rash,hepatosplenomegaly,we should take into account the possibility of syphilis nephropathy.Treatment of secondary CNS caused by congenital syphilis lies in flooding-therapy instead of hormone therapy.For most children with enough doses of antibiotics treatment,the prognosis is good.
Fermentation Conditions of Antibiotic Active Substance by Endophyte SDLH in Oxya chinensis

Objective: A strain of endophyte of Oxya chinensis,the SDLH,which could produce active materials that has strong inhibitive effects on Staphylococcus aureus,was preliminarily isolated in our lab.In order to increase the production of the inhibitive substance,the fermentation condition to produce the antibacterial materials by the bacterial was explored so that the best condition can be fetched.Method: The best fermentation conditions,which consists of the ingredient of the culture medium,the optimized pH,temperature,inoculum concentration,seed-age,liquid measure and rotate speed,were obtained through orthogonal experiments and regression analysis.Result: The best fermentation medium to produce inhibitive substance was α-lactose 2.00g,tryptone 12.00g,yeast cream 5.00g,NaCl 3.50g,K2HPO4 3.68g,KH2PO4 1.32g,1 000mL of distilled water.The best fermentation condition was pH 6.8,temp 30℃,150r/min of shaking,24 hours of seed-age,250ml of shake bottle filled with 100ml liquid medium and 10% of inoculation.Conclusion: The best fermentation condition to produce inhibitive substance was obtained so that this paved the way for next step of large scale fermentation.
Description and Evaluation of an Educational Intervention on Health Care Costs and Value.

OBJECTIVE: There is growing consensus that to ensure that health care dollars are spent efficiently, physicians need more training in how to provide high-value, cost-conscious care. Thus, in fiscal year 2014, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia piloted a 9-part curriculum on health care costs and value for faculty in the Division of General Pediatrics. This study uses baseline and postintervention surveys to gauge knowledge, perceptions, and views on these issues and to assess the efficacy of the pilot curriculum. METHODS: Faculty completed surveys about their knowledge and perceptions about health care costs and value and their views on the role physicians should play in containing costs and promoting value. Baseline and postintervention responses were compared and analyzed on the basis of how many of the sessions respondents attended. RESULTS: Sixty-two faculty members completed the baseline survey (71% response rate), and 45 faculty members completed the postintervention survey (63% response rate). Reported knowledge of health care costs and value increased significantly in the postintervention survey (P = .04 and P CONCLUSIONS: The pilot curriculum appeared to successfully introduce physicians to concepts around health care costs and value and initiated important discussions about the role physicians can play in containing costs and promoting value. Additional education, increased cost transparency, and more decision support tools are needed to help physicians translate knowledge into practice.
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Collaboration

Collaboration is the cornerstone of successful science in medicine and beyond. The days of doing work in an isolated laboratory or basement and hoping to reach some startling revelation are long gone. Yes, deep in all our hearts, I believe, we would like to think that individual discoveries are still just waiting behind the next corner. But the truth is that even those discoveries were extremely challenging to bring to fruition and did not happen alone in most cases. They often did happen through collaborations of a sort, but collaborations that were spread over time rather than through space. In other words, work of individuals over decades gradually culminating in some great “eureka” moment, and the discovery being attributed to that one person. For example, Alexander Fleming’s discovery of the penicillium mold in 1928 was based on his knowledge of the broad field bacteriology. Most great new discoveries do not occur de novo, but rather are built upon previous work. Yes—there are exceptions—with Einstein’s theories of special and generalized relativity being the most obvious—where one person revolutionizes scientific thinking virtually out of the blue. But even Einstein relied on the work of Bernhard Riemann’s mathematics from the 1860s in order to successfully formulate his theory of general relativity.
Preoperative Assessment and Intervention: Optimizing Outcomes for Early Return of Erectile Function

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is one of the most common treatment-related side effects following a radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer. ED is defined as the inability to attain and maintain an erection sufficient to permit satisfactory sexual performance. To the authors’ best knowledge, while there have been no published studies evaluating the preoperative optimization of patients to increase in erectile function recovery after radical prostatectomy, there have been numerous studies done to evaluate the interventions in modifiable risk factors to improve erectile function. These studies focus on physical activity, weight loss, dietary modification, intensive lifestyle changes, smoking cessation, alcohol intake, and statin therapy. This chapter aims to review such studies and discuss potential pathways to optimize patients preoperatively for recovery of erectile function after radical prostatectomy.
Introduction to Sequences and Series

The first chapter introduces sequences and series and their important properties. Increasing, decreasing, bounded, convergent, and divergent sequences are discussed at an elementary level suitable for an eighth grade student. Arithmetic and geometric progressions are studied in depth and many problems including some Olympiad type problems are given and solved. The famous Fibonacci type sequences are demonstrated and different methods of finding formulae for the nth term of a recursive sequence are given as well as methods of finding recursive formulae for other known series. You will learn interesting methods of finding the nth term and partial sums for series that are not geometric or arithmetic. Figurate numbers (triangular, square, pentagonal, etc) will be introduced from a modern and ancient point of view, in both algebraic and geometric ways. In this chapter you will learn how to prove summation formulae, such as the sum of n natural numbers and the sum of their squares or cubes using different methods including a geometric approach known to ancient Greeks and Babylonians. The reader will gain experience in using sigma notation and, for example, will prove that a cube of a natural number can be written as a sum of precisely n odd consecutive numbers. Each statement is proven and followed by an application problem.
Abstract 2433: A novel MDM2 inhibitor suppresses breast cancer growth and metastasis

The MDM2 oncogene is amplified and/or overexpressed in many human cancers, including breast cancer, and it has been suggested as a molecular target for treating human cancers. MDM2 is a major negative regulator of tumor suppressor p53. Most MDM2 inhibitors under development are targeting the MDM2-p53 binding, and have little or no effects on cancers without functional p53, such as advanced breast cancer. Therefore, new strategies to target MDM2 are desirable. The present study was designed to develop a new class of MDM2 inhibitors that exert anti-breast cancer activity, regardless of p53 status in the cancers. The selective MDM2 inhibitors were discovered by a computational structure-based screening, yielding a lead compound, termed JapA. Fluorescence polarization (FP)-based binding assay and cellular thermal shift assay were performed to determine the binding between MDM2 and JapA. Its cytotoxicity was initially evaluated in breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7, MCF-7/p53−/−, MDA-MB-231, and MDA-MB-468) and normal human breast cells (MCF-10A). Its anti-breast cancer activities were further assessed in in vitro and in vivo MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 models. The molecular mechanisms for its targeting effects on MDM2 were elucidated in various cell models in vitro and in vivo. We further found that JapA selectively inhibited breast cancer cell growth, decreased cell proliferation, and induced G2/M phase arrest and apoptosis in breast cancer cells through an MDM2-dependent mechanism, regardless of p53 status. In MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 xenograft models, JapA inhibited MDM2 and suppressed tumor growth and lung metastasis in a dose-dependent manner, without host toxicity. Furthermore, JapA directly bound to MDM2 protein and reduced MDM2 levels in cancer cells in vitro and in vivo by promoting MDM2 protein degradation and inhibiting MDM2 transcription, which is distinct from the existing MDM2 inhibitors. In conclusion, JapA represents a new class of MDM2 inhibitor that exerts its anticancer activity through directly down-regulating MDM2, and might be developed as a novel cancer therapeutic agent. (Supported by the NIH R01 CA112029, R01 CA121211, and R01 CA186662) Citation Format: Jiang-Jiang Qin, Wei Wang, Sukesh Voruganti, Ruiwen Zhang. A novel MDM2 inhibitor suppresses breast cancer growth and metastasis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 2433. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-2433
Optimizing the Use of a Precious Resource: The Role of Emergency Physicians in a Humanitarian Crisis.

Emergency physicians (EP) are uniquely suited to provide care in crises as a result of their broadtraining, ability to work quickly and effectively in high-pressure, austere settings, and their inherentflexibility. While emergency medicine training is helpful to support the needs of crisis-affected anddisplaced populations, it is not in itself sufficient. In this article we review what an EP should carefullyconsider prior to deployment.
Room escape at class: Escape games activities to facilitate the motivation and learning in computer science

Real-life room-escape games are ludic activities in which participants enter a room in order to get out of it only after solving some riddles. In this paper, we explain a Room Escape teaching experience developed in the Engineering School at Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona. The goal of this activity is to increase student’s motivation and to improve their learning on two courses of the second year in the Computer Engineering degree: Computer Networksand Information and Security.
Complications of Adjustable Gastric Banding

Adjustable gastric banding was once the leading bariatric procedure given its ease of laparoscopic placement, minimal recovery time, reversibility, and lower cost. Its prominence fell partly secondary to increased incidence of postoperative complications, including band slippage, erosion, infection, or other issues with the port or tubing itself. Although these complications, as discussed in this chapter, are rarely life-threatening, they frequently cause significant morbidity and even failure of therapy. It is important to understand the details of these complications in order to adequately diagnose and treat patients with adjustable gastric bands, as well as counsel patients before undergoing adjustable gastric banding.
Composition, Physicochemical and Biological Properties of Exosomes Secreted From Cancer Cells

Abstract Exosomes are small lipid vesicles secreted by a variety of cells. They were originally assumed to provide cells with the mean to dispose of unneeded proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids. However, exosomes are now known to play a role in intercellular communication. Cancer cells have been shown to secrete exosomes to not only modulate their immediate microenvironment, but also to exert effects in distant tissues and organs. To fully understand cancer exosomes and their function, it is important to elucidate their molecular composition. Here we provide an overview of exosome biogenesis, composition, and physicochemical properties. We also describe how their secretion from cancer cells can be affected by exposure to specific drugs.
Plasticity of laser-processed nanoscale AlAl2Cu eutectic alloy

Abstract Deformation behavior of as-cast and laser re-melted Al Al2Cu eutectic alloys subjected to room temperature rolling was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. For as-cast alloys, with inter-lamellar spacing of a few micrometers, Al2Cu layers exhibit brittle behavior but plastic co-deformation was observed in rolled, laser processed nanoscale alloys. The nanoscale Al2Cu lamellae, constrained by nanoscale Al, deform via defects not previously reported in monolithic Al2Cu intermetallic: localized shear on {011}Al2Cu planes and shear-induced faults on {121}Al2Cu planes. Based on crystallographic analysis of slip continuity across the interface, the unexpected plasticity mechanisms are ascribed to the slip continuity across interface between α-Al and θ-Al2Cu layers associated with the orientation relationship in Al Al2Cu eutectics. The difference in shear mechanisms on the two planes is attributed to low energy faulted structures associated with shear on {011}Al2Cu and {121}Al2Cu planes, as examined by first-principles density functional theory calculations. These findings demonstrated that nanoscale microstructures promote plastic co-deformation in metallic composites with soft and hard phases.
Otolaryngologic Uses for Spinal Drains

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) fistulae have been encountered by otolaryngologists often since the advent of modern endoscopic sinus surgery, otologic surgery, and skull base surgery. Treatment of CSF leaks may include bed rest, head-of-bed elevation, stool softeners, external spinal fluid drainage, and surgery. External CSF drainage is accomplished via a lumbar spinal drain. Placement of spinal drains is often performed by neurosurgeons and anesthetists. A few otolaryngologists have been trained in the placement and management of lumbar drains, but at most otolaryngology training institutions, education in lumbar drains is not provided. However, in some circumstances, it may fall to an otolaryngologist to accomplish the task. We believe that every otolaryngologist, from the generalist in private practice to the academic neuro-otologic surgeon, should understand the proper technique for the insertion and management of a lumbar drain. Otolaryngologists should be familiar with the physiologic properties of CSF, the methods used to diagnose fistulae, and the techniques used to repair leaks. External spinal drainage is an important element in the management of CSF fistulae, and it has been used in treating perilymphatic fistulae and "gushers." Much controversy surrounds its routine use. Otolaryngologists need to understand the risks, benefits, and outcomes of spinal drain use in order to decide which patients may benefit from this procedure.
Beyond Hospitals: multiskilling For Dietitians

Abstract Skills workers will need in the coming years include: increased technological competence, better teaching and training skills, the ability to work with a culturally diverse, older population, greater flexibility and networking expertise, the ability to use service as a competitive point of sale, the courage to plan for uncertainty within the workplace and possession of a variety of skills, often outside of one's main career area. Multiskilled practitioners are those individuals who can provide more than one function, often in more than one discipline. As healthcare operations in this country face vast changes, and as primary care shifts from acute to preventative, dietitians who were trained to be employed in hospitals will have to gain new skills or become obsolete. A matrix is presented detailing non-hospital based career options for dietitians and specific skills needed for each. For example, skills such as advanced writing and/or computer ability are needed to create nutrition software, or web pages, or to teach others these skills. Working with immune compromised patients requires knowledge of applied food safety. The matrix will be of particular interest to dietetic educators and dietitians exploring career options in non-hospital environments.
Cap-and-trade versus carbon taxes: which market mechanism gets the most attention?

In the debate between carbon taxes and cap-and-trade as a policy response to curbing greenhouse gas emissions, which market-based policy tool tends to garner the most (favorable) media attention? Furthermore, what is the public coverage like of topics such as trade, energy prices, and economic growth and green jobs? Understanding the media’s response to market-based policy mechanisms is important for understanding their ultimate acceptance, or rejection, beyond the academic sphere. One interesting result from this research is that cap-and-trade wins hands down over carbon taxes—it received more, and more positive, media attention in the US in the 22-year time period under study.