cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Case-level prediction of motion outcomes in civil litigation

Lawyers regularly predict court outcomes to make strategic decisions, including when, if at all, to sue or settle, what to argue, and how to reduce their clients' liability risk. Yet, lawyer predictions tend to be poorly calibrated and biased, which exacerbate unjustifiable disparities in civil case outcomes. Current machine learning (ML) approaches for predicting court outcomes are typically constrained to final dispositions or are based on features unavailable in real-time during litigation, like judicial opinions. Here, we present the first ML-based methods to support lawyer and client decision making in real-time for motion filings in civil proceedings. Using the State of Connecticut Judicial Branch administrative data and court case documents, we trained six classifiers to predict motion to strike outcomes in tort and vehicular cases between July 1, 2004 and February 18, 2019. Integrating dense word embeddings from complaint documents, which contain information specific to the claims alleged, with the Judicial Branch data improved classification accuracy across all models. Subsequent models defined using a novel attorney case-entropy feature, dense word embeddings using corpus specific TF-IDF weightings, and algorithmic classification rules yielded the best predictor, Adaboost, with a classification accuracy of 64.4%. An analysis of feature importance weights confirmed the usefulness of incorporating attorney case-entropy and natural language features from complaint documents. Since all features used in model training are available during litigation, these methods will help lawyers make better predictions than they otherwise could given disparities in lawyer and client resources. All ML models, training code, and evaluation scripts are available at https://github.com/aguiarlab/motionpredict.
SPATIALLY RESOLVED POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON EMISSION FEATURES IN NEARBY, LOW METALLICITY, STAR-FORMING GALAXIES

Low-resolution, mid-infrared Spitzer/IRS spectral maps are presented for three nearby, low-metallicity dwarf galaxies (NGC 55, NGC 3109, and IC 5152) for the purpose of examining the spatial distribution and variation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission. The sample straddles a metallicity of 12 + log(O/H) 8, a transition point below which PAH intensity empirically drops and the character of the interstellar medium changes. We derive quantitative radiances of PAH features and atomic lines on both global and spatially resolved scales. The Spitzer spectra, combined with extensive ancillary data from the UV through the mid-infrared, allow us to examine changes in the physical environments and in PAH feature radiances down to a physical scale of ~50 pc. We discuss correlations between various PAH emission feature and atomic line radiances. The (6.2 μm)/(11.3 μm), (7.7 μm)/(11.3 μm), (8.6 μm)/(11.3 μm), (7.7 μm)/(6.2 μm), and (8.6 μm)/(6.2 μm) PAH radiance ratios are found to be independent of position across all three galaxies, although the ratios do vary from galaxy to galaxy. As seen in other galaxies, we find no variation in the grain size distribution as a function of local radiation field strength. Absolute PAH feature intensities as measured by a ratio of PAH/(24 μm) radiances are seen to vary both positionally within a given galaxy and from one galaxy to another when integrated over the full observed extent of each system. We examine direct comparisons of CC mode PAH ratios (7.7 μm)/(6.2 μm) and (8.6 μm)/(6.2 μm) to the mixed (CC/CH) mode PAH ratio (7.7 μm)/(11.3 μm). We find little variation in either mode and no difference in trends between modes. While the local conditions change markedly over the observed regions of these galaxies, the properties of PAH emission show a remarkable degree of uniformity.
Isolation of a Nonpigmented, Thermophilic Bacterium Similar to Thermus aquaticus

A thermophilic (70 C), gram-negative bacterium has been isolated that resembles Thermus aquaticus but lacks the type-characteristic yellow carotenoid.
Enzymatic degradation of uracil-containing DNA. II. Evidence for N-glycosidase and nuclease activities in unfractionated extracts of Bacillus subtilis.

Further studies have confirmed our earlier observations that in the presence of EDTA, degradation of phage PBS2 [3H]uracil-labeled DNA is effected by an N-glycosidase activity in extracts of Bacillus subtilis that removes free uracil from DNA. In addition, such extracts contain a nuclease activity that attacks PBS2 DNA in the presence of CaCl2. The nuclease activity is not observed under conditions that inactivate N-glycosidase activity but does attack DNA that has been preincubated to remove uracil by N-glycosidase action. We therefore postulate that the nuclease requires N-glycosidase action to generate substrate for its activity, i.e., the nuclease appears to attack depyrimidinated sites rather than uracil sites in phage PBS2 DNA.
Pediatric facial fractures: Demographic determinants influencing clinical outcomes.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: There is limited data linking demographic determinants to clinical outcomes in facial trauma, particularly when comparing regional to national datasets; these are the aims of the present study. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. METHODS: A 10-year, retrospective single-institutional chart review was undertaken at Children's Hospital Colorado (CHC) to characterize a pediatric population with facial fractures. A comparative analysis between the CHC and National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) datasets was also conducted. RESULTS: In the CHC dataset, increased hospital stay was positively predicted by bilateral mandible fracture, skull, intracranial, spine, thoracic, abdominal, and limb injuries. Predictors of increased intensive-care unit (ICU) stay included skull, spine, and limb injuries. The CHC cohort had younger subjects, more females, fewer African Americans, and more Hispanics than the NTDB dataset. They were more likely to be injured by nonviolent activities than by altercations. Divergent facial and associated injuries between the datasets were found. Multivariate models showed longer length of hospital stay for the CHC group (P = .0085), but the NTDB group had higher ICU admission (P = .04) and longer lengths of ICU stay (P = .007). CONCLUSION: The demographic disparities (age, ethnicity, mechanism of injury, and injury type) resulted in divergent injury patterns and likely influenced clinical outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4. Laryngoscope, 2015. Language: en
Fatty Acid Synthetase from Chlamydomonas reinhardi SITES OF TRANSCRIPTION AND TRANSLATION

Abstract Cell-free extracts of the unicellular green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardi, catalyze the incorporation of acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA into long chain fatty acids. The fatty acid synthetase is dependent on added acyl carrier protein for activity, regardless if the cells are grown in the light or in the dark. The major products formed from acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA by cells in the light period of synchronous growth are palmitate, stearate, and arachidate, whereas in the dark period of synchronous growth more short fatty acids are formed. Rifampicin has no effect on the appearance of the fatty acid synthetase in synchronous cultures of C. reinhardi, thus suggesting that transcriptional steps necessary for formation of fatty acid synthetase occur in the nucleus. Cycloheximide has no effect on the activity of fatty acid synthetase in the synchronous cultures, whereas spectinomycin reduced the activity significantly. These findings strongly indicate that the chloroplast ribosomes are responsible for the de novo protein synthesis required for fatty acid synthetase in C. reinhardi.
Ten things we have to do to achieve precision medicine

On 30 January 2015, President Obama announced funding for an Initiative in Precision Medicine (IPM) ( 1 ) less than 3 years after a National Academy of Sciences (NAS) committee report ( 2 ) made clear just how such an initiative could accelerate progress in medical care and research. The core concept of this initiative is that by harnessing measurements of multiple modalities—not just clinical and genomic evaluations, but environmental exposures, daily activities, and many others, we can develop a much more comprehensive view of the patient's state and its trajectory over time. By understanding precisely, across all these modalities, what the distinguishing features of specific subgroups of patients are, we can better individualize therapies.
The Development of Antonym Knowledge in American Sign Language (ASL) and Its Relationship to Reading Comprehension in English.

It is unknown if the developmental path of antonym knowledge in deaf children increases continuously with age and correlates with reading comprehension, as it does in hearing children. In the current study we tested 564 students aged 4–18 on a receptive multiple-choice American Sign Language (ASL) antonym test. A subgroup of 138 students aged 7–18 took the Stanford Achievement Test reading comprehension test. The results showed that antonym knowledge depended more strongly on age for deaf children with deaf parents than for deaf children with hearing parents. This indicates more developmentally typical acquisition for deaf children with deaf parents, consistent with early natural language exposure. Multiple regressions demonstrated that ASL antonym knowledge eliminated the advantage of deaf parents for reading. This establishes a language effect of ASL on reading comprehension in English.
On the derivation of geometric constraints in stereo

Probability density functions (PDFs) are derived for many of the geometric measurements upon which stereo matching techniques are based, including orientation differences between matching line segments or curves, the gradient of disparity, the directional derivative of disparity, and disparity differences between matches. The PDFs resulting from the transformations are used to critically examine many existing stereo techniques. Several techniques based on these PDFs are proposed. >
Parasitic extraction procedure for silicon carbide power modules

Parasitic impedances play a significant role in determining the achievable performance of power electronics applications based on wide band-gap semiconductors. Unlike applications based on traditional devices, this new class of applications has spectral content in the "near-RF" domain, which can reveal anomalous system behavior by exciting resonances in these parasitic impedances. To understand and mitigate this behavior, it is important that application designers have some means for estimating the interconnect impedances within multi-chip power modules (MCPM's). This paper proposes a straightforward methodology for extracting estimates of parasitic impedances within the MCPM structure, without a-priori knowledge of the module geometry or interconnection details. The practical utility of the proposed approach is demonstrated through the execution of a case study involving a commercially-available MCPM; and the resulting impedance estimates are empirically validated through switching experiments.
Dendritic Cells from Malaria-Infected Mice Are Fully Functional APC

Malaria infection has long been associated with diminished T cell responses in vitro and more recently in experimental studies in vivo. Suppression of T cell-proliferative responses during malaria has been attributed to macrophages in a variety of murine and human systems. More recently, however, attention has been directed at the role of dendritic cells in this phenomenon, with several studies suggesting that maturation of dendritic cells is inhibited in vitro by the presence of malaria-infected E. In the studies reported here, we have examined the function of dendritic cells taken directly from infected mice. We found that they express high levels of costimulatory proteins and class II MHC, can activate naive T cells to produce IL-2 as efficiently as dendritic cells from uninfected mice, and support high levels of IFN-gamma production by naive T cells through an IL-12-dependent mechanism. Dendritic cells from infected mice also support higher levels of TNF-alpha production by naive T cells. These same dendritic cells present parasite Ag to a malaria-specific T cell hybridoma, a finding that demonstrates that dendritic cells participate in the generation of Ag-specific immunity during infection. Our findings challenge the contention that dendritic cell function is inhibited by malaria infection.
Circuit realisations of conjunctors and traditors

Circuit realisations of conjunctors and traditors are presented. In particular, a conjunctor is shown to be realisable by a resistive nonlinear network made up of four nonlinear resistances and seven linear controlled sources. Similarly, a traditor is shown to be realisable by a dynamic nonlinear network made up of two linear capacitances, eight nonlinear resistances and 16 linear controlled sources.
Cotton lint yield response to accumulated heat units and soil water supply

Abstract Crop growth and development are directly associated with the thermal regime (heat-unit concept), when other environmental factors are not limiting. The growing-season length on the Texas High Plains is less than optimal for cotton production, based upon total available heat units. In addition, water stress, due to inadequate rainfall, coupled with the high evaporative demand, represents the major environmental contraint to cotton yield. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the relationship between cotton lint yield and available heat units in this climate. When water supply was not the major limitation to productivity, lint yield was highly correlated with the available heat units during the growing season ( r 2 =0.90). When water stress represented the major growth constraint (seasonal water supply less than 400 mm), no significant relationship existed between lint yield and seasonal heat-unit accumulation. Evaluation of the response of specific growth stages revealed that the accumulation of heat units during the early fruiting period explained as much of the yield variability as did the seasonal heat-unit accumulation.
The global stability of Minkowski space-time in harmonic gauge

We give a new proof of the global stability of Minkowski space originally established in the vacuum case by Christodoulou and Klainerman. The new approach, which relies on the classical harmonic gauge, shows that the Einstein-vacuum and the Einstein-scalar field equations with asymptotically flat initial data satisfying a global smallness condition produce global (causally geodesically complete) solutions asymptotically convergent to the Minkowski space-time.
The Repeat Expansion Diseases: The dark side of DNA repair

DNA repair normally protects the genome against mutations that threaten genome integrity and thus cell viability. However, growing evidence suggests that in the case of the Repeat Expansion Diseases, disorders that result from an increase in the size of a disease-specific microsatellite, the disease-causing mutation is actually the result of aberrant DNA repair. A variety of proteins from different DNA repair pathways have thus far been implicated in this process. This review will summarize recent findings from patients and from mouse models of these diseases that shed light on how these pathways may interact to cause repeat expansion.
Complementary Roles of CT and Endoscopic Ultrasound in Evaluating a Pancreatic Mass

OBJECTIVE. The objectives of our study were to illustrate normal pancreatic anatomy using endoscopic ultrasound and to show the imaging findings of solid pancreatic masses on endoscopic ultrasound and CT.CONCLUSION. CT and endoscopic ultrasound have complementary roles in the diagnosis of solid pancreatic masses.
Selective Vulnerability of Posterior Putamen on Positron Emission Tomography (PET) in Perinatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury

Selective Vulnerability of Posterior Putamen on Positron Emission Tomography (PET) in Perinatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury
AN IMPROVED METHOD OF EXTRACTION AND PURIFICATION OF RELAXIN FROM FRESH WHOLE OVARIES OF THE SOW1

RELAXIN, a water-soluble, physiologically active substance of the ovary has been prepared in partly purified form by two different methods. Fevold, Hisaw, and Meyer (1932) extracted fresh sow corpora lutea with acid alcohol and worked up the active material by solution in and precipitation from organic solvents. The activity of the final product, prepared as an iso-electric precipitate at pH 5.4, was 30 units per mg. Using semi-dried, defatted luteal tissue obtained as a by-product from a commercial procedure for the preparation of progestin, Albert, Money, and Zarrow (1946) prepared relaxin with approximately the same order of activity by differential solubility in water, ammonium sulfate solutions and cold dilute alcohol.
Postmortem Oxygen Consumption by Mitochondria and Its Effects on Myoglobin Form and Stability

The objective of this study was to assess the morphological integrity and functional potential of mitochondria from postmortem bovine cardiac muscle and evaluate mitochondrial interactions with myoglobin (Mb) in vitro. Electron microscopy revealed that mitochondria maintained structural integrity at 2 h postmortem; prolonged storage resulted in swelling and breakage. At 2 h, 96 h, and 60 days postmortem, the mitochondrial state III oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and respiratory control ratio decreased with time at pH 7.2 and 5.6 (p 0.05). MetMb formation was inversely proportional to mitochondrial density at pH 5.6 in closed systems. Mitochondrial respiration in open systems resulted in greater MetMb and DeoMb formation at pH 5.6 and pH 7.2, respectively, vs controls (p < 0.05). The greatest MetMb formation was observed with a mitochondrial density of 0.5 mg/mL at both pH values in open systems. Mitochondrial respiration facilitated a shift in Mb form from OxyMb to DeoMb or MetMb, and this was dependent on pH, oxygen availability, and mitochondrial density.
A case of infantile acute lymphoblastic leukemia presenting with rearrangement of MLL at 11q23 and apparent insertion or translocation at 10p12

Abstract We report the case of an 11-month-old patient with a clinical diagnosis of infantile acute lymphoblastic leukemia and an MLL (11q23) rearrangement in 69% of nuclei, revealed with interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Routine chromosome analysis of the bone marrow showed a very subtle rearrangement involving the short arm of chromosome 10 and the long arm of chromosome 11 in the abnormal cells. To clarify the nature of this rearrangement, we hybridized the MLL break-apart probe to previously G-banded slides. The rearrangement was interpreted as a small inversion within the band 11q23, separating the 5′ MLL from the 3′ MLL region. This segment on the long arm of chromosome 11 containing the rearranged MLL locus was either inserted in or translocated to the short arm of chromosome 10 at approximately band 10p12. The inversion affecting MLL may have followed insertion or preceded it. Molecular characterization of this rearrangement was not possible, due to limited sample material. There have been previous reports of rearrangements of MLL with the MLLT10 (alias AF10 ) gene locus at 10p12, including an interstitial inverted insertion of 11q13q23 in one case and insertion of 11q14q23 at 10p12 in another. These both resulted in a large derivative chromosome 10 and transcription of an MLL/MLLT10 fusion product. To our knowledge, the novel and cryptic rearrangement detected in our patient has not been described previously. A follow-up study of the patient's bone marrow at the end of induction therapy showed no morphologic evidence of residual leukemia and both FISH and chromosome analyses were normal.
Statistics of Shear and Turbulent Dissipation Profiles in Random Internal Wave Fields

Abstract Because breaking internal waves produces most of the turbulence in the thermocline, the statistics of ϵ, the rate of turbulent dissipation, cannot be understood apart from the statistics of internal wave shear. The statistics of ϵ and shear are compared for two sets of profiles from the northeast Pacific. One set, PATCHEX, has internal wave shear close to the Garrett and Munk model, but the other set, PATCHEX north, has average 10-m shear squared, 〈S210〉, about four times larger than the model. The 10-m, shear components, Sx and Sy, were measured between 1 and 9 MPa and referenced to a common stratification by WKB scaling. The scaled components, Sˆx and Sˆy, are found to be independent and normally distributed with zero means, as assumed by Garrett and Munk. This readily leads to analytic forms for the probability densities of Sˆ210 and Sˆ410. The observed probability densities of Sˆ210 and Sˆ410 are close to the predicted forms, and both are strongly skewed. Moreover, σlnSˆ210 and σlnSˆ410 are c...
Hypervalent iodine in organic synthesis. A new route to α-functionalized carboxylate esters.

Abstract Aryl and alkylcarboxylate esters are converted into the corresponding α-hydroxy acids or α-alkoxyesters upon treatment with C 6 H 5 I(OAc) 2 and base in the appropriate solvent.
The effect of centrifugation on x-ray-induced chromosomal aberrations in microspores of Tradescantia Paludosa

Abstract Microspores of Tradescantia paludosa, Sax's clone No. 5, were given 400 r of X-rays at 50 r/min at 30°C. Microscope slides were made from anther squashes after varying periods of time and cells at metaphase were scored for two-hit chromosomal aberrations. Controls centrifuged up to 10,000 × g for 8 min, but not irradiated, showed no aberrations. When inflorescences were irradiated and centrifuged at low forces simultaneously no increase in the aberration yield (after 96 hr) was found. As centrifugal force was increased, however, the aberration yield increased non-monotonically. A second set of experiments was performed using 400 r at 50 r/min in air. Aberrations were scored after 3, 4, and 5 days. The day in which the maximum number of aberrations was recovered shifted from the fourth to the fifth when centrifugal force exceeded 5,000 × g. The data are interpreted as showing that two processes affect aberration frequency during centrifugation. One, best described by an exponential relationship, tends to increase the aberration yield while the second, best described as linear, tends to decrease the yield of aberrations.
Suppressive effect of antiflammin-2 on compound 48/80-induced conjunctivitis Role of phospholipase A2s and inducible nitric oxide synthase

Phospholipase A2s (PLA2s) are a family of esterases that initiate the arachidonic acid cascade, which results in the production of numerous inflammatory mediators. We investigated the expression of Group I and II PLA2 proteins and Group II mRNA in normal conjunctivae and in the conjunctivae of mice with compound 48/80-induced conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis was induced in C57BL/6 mice by topical instillation of compound 48/80 (C48/80). Mice were then treated with corticosteroid (Pred Forte), antiflammin-2 (AF2, a synthetic peptide that inhibits PLA2), or a placebo (Dacriose, an isotonic, buffered, sterile eye irrigating solution). Low levels of PLA2s were detected on the epithelium of normal conjunctivae. One hr after C48/80 instillation, the expression of PLA2s appeared and increased in the substantia propria, peaked at 6 hr, and returned to baseline 72 hr later. Compared to the placebo, the conjunctivitis was moderate in the AF2-treated group and mild in Pred Forte-treated group. The expression of PLA2s was suppressed in mice treated with Pred Forte and AF2. iNOS mRNA was also diminished in the AF2- and Pred Forte-treated groups. The mechanisms by which anti-allergic medications suppress conjunctivitis may involve the inhibition of PLA2s and iNOS.
Incorporation of Drugs for the Treatment of Substance Abuse into Pigmented and Nonpigmented Hair

□ Hair analysis for drugs may be useful for the long-term monitoring of recidivism and treatment compliance. L-α-Acetylmeth-adol, buprenorphine, and methadone are drugs that are used for the treatment of substance abuse. The purpose of this study was to study the relationship between dose, plasma concentration, hair concentration, and hair pigmentation for these compounds and their major metabolites in an animal model. Male Long-Evans rats received either L-α-acetylmethadol (1 and 3 mg/kg; n = 6), buprenorphine (1 and 3 mg/kg; n = 5), or methadone (4 and 8 mg/kg; n = 5) by intraperitoneal injection daily for 5 days. Fourteen days after beginning drug administration, newly grown hair was collected and analyzed for either L-α-acetylmethadol and two metabolites (L-α-acetyl-N-normeth-adol and L-α-acetyl-N,N-dinormethadol), methadone and two metabolites (D,L-2-ethyl-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolinium and D,L-2-ethyl-5-methyl-3,3-diphenyl-1-pyrroline), or buprenorphine and one metabolite (norbuprenorphine). The plasma time course (AUC) for each compound was also determined after a single administration of each drug at the specified doses. There was an approximate dose-dependent increase in measured hair concentration of each parent drug in pigmented hair. The concentrations of L-α-acetylmethadol, methadone, and buprenorphine in nonpigmented hair were significantly less than that measured in pigmented hair at either the high or low dose. The metabolites L-α-acetyl-N-normethadol and D,L-2-ethyl-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolinium were detected at lower concentrations than their respective parent compounds (L-α-acetylmethadol or methadone) in pigmented hair. However, the L-α-acetyl-N,N-di-normethadol metabolite concentrations in pigmented hair were significantly greater than those of the parent drug after either the low or the high L-α-acetylmethadol dose. These data demonstrate that L-α-acetylmethadol, methadone, buprenorphine, and metabolites are distributed into hair in a dose-related manner with a preference for pigmented hair.
PARTS: Probabilistic Alignment for RNA joinT Secondary structure prediction

A novel method is presented for joint prediction of alignment and common secondary structures of two RNA sequences. The joint consideration of common secondary structures and alignment is accomplished by structural alignment over a search space defined by the newly introduced motif called matched helical regions. The matched helical region formulation generalizes previously employed constraints for structural alignment and thereby better accommodates the structural variability within RNA families. A probabilistic model based on pseudo free energies obtained from precomputed base pairing and alignment probabilities is utilized for scoring structural alignments. Maximum a posteriori (MAP) common secondary structures, sequence alignment and joint posterior probabilities of base pairing are obtained from the model via a dynamic programming algorithm called PARTS. The advantage of the more general structural alignment of PARTS is seen in secondary structure predictions for the RNase P family. For this family, the PARTS MAP predictions of secondary structures and alignment perform significantly better than prior methods that utilize a more restrictive structural alignment model. For the tRNA and 5S rRNA families, the richer structural alignment model of PARTS does not offer a benefit and the method therefore performs comparably with existing alternatives. For all RNA families studied, the posterior probability estimates obtained from PARTS offer an improvement over posterior probability estimates from a single sequence prediction. When considering the base pairings predicted over a threshold value of confidence, the combination of sensitivity and positive predictive value is superior for PARTS than for the single sequence prediction. PARTS source code is available for download under the GNU public license at http://rna.urmc.rochester.edu.
Electron microprobe correlation of tephra layers from Eastern Mediterranean abyssal sediments and the Island of Santorini

Five widespread tephra layers are found in late Quaternary sediments (0–130,000 yr B.P.) of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. These layers have been correlated among abyssal cores and to their respective terrestrial sources by electron-probe microanalysis of glass and pumice shards. Major element variations are sufficient to discriminate unambiguously between the five major layers. Oxygen isotope stratigraphy in one of the cores studied was used to data four of the five layers. Two of the widespread layers are derived from explosive eruptions of the Santorini volcanic complex: the Minoan Ash (3370 yr B.P.) and the Acrotiri Ignimbrite (18,000 yr B.P.). An additional layer, found in one core only, is most likely correlated to the Middle Pumice Series of Santorini (approximately 100,000 yr B.P.). Two layers are correlated to deposits on the islands of Yali and Kos and date to 31,000 and 120,000 yr B.P., respectively. One layer originated from the Neapolitan area of Italy 38,000 yr B.P.
The nobodies: neoliberalism, violence, and migration.

In this article I suggest placing structural vulnerability within a complex web of capitalist relations and tease out some of the forces and processes that now produce at an unprecedented rate disposable people who have been displaced and dislocated from their means of survival by a rapacious capitalism. I explore some of the multiple sites of the production and commodification of these “nobodies” to illuminate the intricate relationship between neoliberal economic policies and practices, state-sponsored violence, and international migration. These phenomena point us toward an understanding of the historical dimensions and the power dynamics of profiteering off the poor through the production of their vulnerabilities and the commodification of their very being.
The value of kinetic print in computer graphics for young children

The young child can use computer graphics to invent and manipulate symbols in a variety of ways. The result is a new type of symbol, kinetic print.
Effects of implied pressure toward commitment on ratings of choice alternatives

Abstract If an individual has the option of choosing one of several alternatives or none at all and is asked to examine and rate the alternatives predecisionally in the presence of a bystander, how are his ratings affected if he knows that the bystander has a vested interest in his choosing an alternative? The following predictions were derived from a theory of psychological reactance: (a) lower predecision ratings of the alternatives will result to the extent that a bystander ostensibly desires that the subject commit himself to an alternative, and (b) the effect of the bystander with a vested interest will be greatest given that the subject has examined relatively few choice alternatives. Both predictions were confirmed in an experiment with 20 female undergraduates.
SU-E-T-768: Tissue Phantom Ratios: Direct Measurement vs. Derived from Percentage Depth Dose for Small Fields

Purpose: To examine the accuracy of different methods of converting percentage depth dose (PDD) curves to tissue phantom ratios (TPR) for small cones by comparing them with directly measured TPR values.Methods: For a 6 MV beam, a detector remained fixed in water at an SAD of 100 cm. The depth was increased from 1.5 cm to 20 cm to directly measure TPRs for cones of 7.5 to 30 mm and fields of 5×5 and 10×10 cm square. PDD curves were measured at 100 cm SSD. Three methods were used to obtain TPR from PDD: 1.) by correcting inverse‐square only; 2.) by correcting for inverse‐square and interpolating between PDD curves to correct for the increasing field size with increasing depth; and 3.) by using method 2 in addition to a ratio of field‐size corrected peak scatter factors (PSF). Because of the lack of charged particle equilibrium (CPE), PSFs for small fields were obtained by an analytical fit. Results: For fields larger than the 10 mm cone, method 2 corrected errors generated using method 1 and produced TPRs within 1% of the directly measured values for all depths. Method 2 did not significantly reduce the difference for the 7.5 and 10 mm cones. When compared to directly measured TPRs, derived values for the 7.5 mm cone varied from 2.2% low at dmax to 2.4% high at 20 cm. Method 3 reduced the deviations within +/− 1% for all fields and depths. Conclusions: This study shows that TPR values derived using method 2 can reduce deviation from directly measured TPR to less than 1% for field sizes greater than 1 square cm. The deviation of derived TPR values for field sizes less than 1 square cm can be reduced to less than 1% by combining method 2 and empirically fitted PSFs.
The Lateral View in Lung Scanning as an Aid in Differential Diagnosis

SUMMARY Observations made on patients who had lung scans performed with MAA show that attention to technical detail, especially reduction of contrast enhancement and use of a proper light collimator, will produce a more readily interpretable scan. The lateral view is necessary to obtain proper anatomic information and can give information that is not available on the posterior view. Appropriately recorded data should be used with the physiologic principle that anything which reduces regional ventilation will correspondingly reduce regional pulmonary artery blood flow. This will lead to fewer errors in interpretation of the lung scan as illustrated by the reported cases.
A study of changes in wheat protein during bread baking using SE-HPLC

Samples of bread at different stages of baking were divided into three sections viz. crust, center and base. The sections were freeze-dried, ground and sieved, and changes in protein were followed using SE-HPLC. Sonication was used to solubilize proteins in SDS buffer pH 6.9. A decrease in extractable protein with time of baking was shown by the decrease in total area of the SE-HPLC profile. The center section of bread showed the maximum decrease in extractable protein as compared to the crust and base, which could be due to the differences in rate of temperature change as well as moisture content in the different sections of bread. To check the nature of cross-links formed during baking causing insolubility of proteins, a freeze dried sample of crust (20 min baking) was reduced with β-mercaptoethanol (ME) at room temperature. Almost complete reduction of protein into subunits suggested that disulfide bonds are the major cross-links formed during baking.
NBS1 Expression as a Prognostic Marker in Uveal Melanoma

Purpose: Up to half of uveal melanoma patients die of metastatic disease. Treatment of the primary eye tumor does not improve survival in high-risk patients due to occult micrometastatic disease, which is present at the time of eye tumor diagnosis but is not detected and treated until months to years later. Here, we use microarray gene expression data to identify a new prognostic marker. Experimental Design : Microarray gene expression profiles were analyzed in 25 primary uveal melanomas. Tumors were ranked by support vector machine (SVM) and by cytologic severity. Nbs1 protein expression was assessed by quantitative immunohistochemistry in 49 primary uveal melanomas. Survival was assessed using Kaplan-Meier life-table analysis. Results: Expression of the Nijmegen breakage syndrome ( NBS1 ) gene correlated strongly with SVM and cytologic tumor rankings ( P P P = 0.01). Conclusions: NBS1 is a strong predictor of uveal melanoma survival and potentially could be used as a clinical marker for guiding clinical management.
On Some New Long Periodic Solutions of The Plane Restricted Three Body Problem

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses new long periodic solutions of the plane restricted three body problem. The three body problem is a hypothetical concept in which there are two bodies of arbitrary positive mass that move in circles about their center of mass under the influence of gravity and the motion of a third body of mass zero does not affect the motion of the other two bodies. It is assumed that zero mass point moves in the plane is determined by the circles and close to one of the positive mass points, which corresponds to lunar orbits. For convenience, the gravitational constants are normalized, that is, the distance between the two positive mass-points and their sum of the masses to be one.
Document engineering education: workshop report

A workshop on Document Engineering Education took place as part of the 2012 Document Engineering conference in Paris. We report on the discussions and recommendations that arose from that workshop.
Bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor as a probe of large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels at an internal site of interaction

Abstract Bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI) is a 58 residue proteins whose binding to carious serine proteases has been extensively studied by X-ray crystallography. We have found that BPTI also binds to an intracellular site associated with the large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channel, as detected by the production of subconductance events in single channels incorporated into planar lipid bilayers. BPTI is highly homologous to a family of mamba snake dendrotoxin proteins that inhibit various K+ channels at an extracellular site. BPTI thus provides a useful model system to explore basic mechanisms underlying protein-channel interactions.
Criteria for Authors

Excerpt To the editor: Burman (1) has managed to add another paper to his bibliography and reduce the percentage of multiauthored papers. However, he seems naive about the difficulty of deciding wh...
The effect of aging on the density and distribution of oral mucosal langerhans cells

Abstract Previous studies localizing the Langerhans cells in the hamster cheek pouch by ATPase staining have shown these cells to be distributed in a nonrandom pattern. The Langerhans cells have been found in both focal and interfocal arrangements. In this study we utilized two groups, Group 1 (six animals), was 5–6 weeks old, and Group 2 (six animals), was 78–80 weeks old. The Langerhans cells were stained for ATPase, following the epidermal stripping of the cheek pouch with 1% glacial acetic acid. The number of Langerhans was statistically decreased interfocally and there was a decrease in the number of focal aggregations, while there was a concomitant increase in the number of Langerhans cells in each unit. These alterations in the density and distribution of the Langerhans cells may suggest a lowering of the immune response, and increase susceptibility to irritants and carcinogenic agents in the oral cavity.
Test Suite Reduction by Combinatorial-Based Coverage of Event Sequences

Combinatorial-based criteria are useful in several studies for test suite generation, prioritization, and minimization. In this paper, we extend previous work by using combinatorial-based criteria for test suite reduction. We use criteria that are based on combinatorial coverage of events and consider the order in which events occur. A simple combinatorial-based criterion covers t-way events and does not differentiate between the order of events. The event pair (e1, e2) is counted the same as if it occurs in the order (e2, e1). We also use two criteria that consider the order in which events occur since different orderings of events may be valuable during testing. First, the consecutive sequence-based criterion counts all event sequences in different orders, but they must occur adjacent to each other. The sequence-based criterion counts pairs in all orders without the requirement that events must be adjacent. We evaluate the new criteria on three GUI applications. We use 2way inter-window coverage in our studies. All of the 2way combinatorial-based criteria are effective in reducing the test suites and maintaining close to 100% fault finding effectiveness. Our future work examines larger test suites, higher strength coverage, techniques to partition event data, and further empirical studies.
Time-dependent fluorescence in nanoconfined solvents: Linear-response approximations and Gaussian statistics

The time-dependent fluorescence of a model dye molecule in a nanoconfined solvent is used to test approximations based on the dynamic and static linear-response theories and the assumption of Gaussian statistics. Specifically, the results of nonequilibrium molecular-dynamics simulations are compared to approximate expressions involving time correlation functions obtained from equilibrium simulations. Solvation dynamics of a model diatomic dye molecule dissolved in acetonitrile confined in a spherical hydrophobic cavity of radius 12, 15, and 20 A is used as the test case. Both the time-dependent fluorescence energy, expressed as the normalized dynamic Stokes shift, and the time-dependent position of the dye molecule after excitation are examined. While the dynamic linear-response approximation fails to describe key aspects of the solvation dynamics, assuming Gaussian statistics reproduces the full nonequilibrium simulations well. The implications of these results are discussed.
Unsteady viscous vortex with flow toward the center

An analysis was made of a strong unsteady vortex that consists of an annular region, in which the flow is tangential and radial and a core region, in which a uniform axial flow is also present. The effects of end-wall boundary layers, if present and important, were assumed to be eliminated by use of suitably rotating end walls. The Navier-Stokes equation for the tangential flow was solved numerically to carry out the analysis.
LEARNING OF PROSE AS AFFECTED BY EXTRA-EXPERIMENTAL TRANSFER.

Two experiments investigated the learning of sentences whose words differed in their pre-experimental strength of association. Exp. I (N = 12) compared the short-term retention of 2 synonymous, noun-is-adjective sentences, one having a strong association between noun and adjective (Knife is sharp) with one having a weaker association (Knife is cutting). Sentences having strong associations were better retained (p < .01). Exp. II (N = 22) compared noun-is-adjective sentences having wider ranges of pre-experimental associative strengths. A significant relation between short-term retention and associative strength was found, and the magnitude of the differences seemed surprisingly large.
How long has it been since the last deal? Consumer promotion timing expectations and promotional response

When modeling consumers’ forward-looking behavior using choice data on frequently purchased products, the common approach assumes that consumers have rational expectations about future promotions. Previous studies modeled such expectations using a first-order Markov (FOM) process. However, empirical evidence from several categories suggest that inter-promotion intervals can last several weeks implying that a FOM process that conditions future expectations of prices only on current-period prices can be limiting. We utilize a Proportional Hazard model (PHM) to characterize consumers’ rational expectation of future price promotion. We first show that estimating a dynamic structural model that uses a FOM specification for rational expectations can bias estimates of promotion effects with both simulation analysis and scanner panel data from four consumer packaged goods product categories. Secondly, we empirically show that a structural model employing a PHM specification for promotion expectations fits the data better than ones that assume only a FOM price or promotion expectation. Lastly, we show using an analysis of promotion policy changes that a structural model with a FOM expectation can lead to suboptimal managerial decisions.
Criteria for Choice A Study of Individual Behavior in the Criminal Justice System

This article begins with a definition of politics as a problem-solving process. Thus, to understand politics we need to understand how people solve problems. This research focuses on the ways individuals perceive, evaluate, and use a limited amount of informa tion in solving problems in a criminal justice context.An experiment was used to control information and assess performance levels. In the first wave of the experiment Ss read "criminal court transcripts" from an assault and battery case, in which characteristics of the information source were varied. In the second treatment Ss read excerpts of the Miranda case. The data analysis presented here examines the effects of information source, individual level of cognitive complexity, and decision making rules or logics on verdicts.
Moving Teacher Education in/to the Community.

tute the learning communities that schools attempt to foster. Because of this responsibility, educators are becoming more aware of the demographic changes communities are experiencing. The statistics that follow illustrate these changes and alert us to the need for rethinking what was taken for granted about the social context of schooling and the ways teachers are prepared to understand and take part, with students, families, and communities,'in the building and shaping of deliberative democracy. Ethnic minorities are increasing faster than the majority population (Baca-Zinn & Eitzen, 1996). For example, according to the 1995 Bureau of the Census report, by the year 2000, 11.3 percent of the population in this country will be from Hispanic, Latino/a, Chicana/o backgrounds, and 12.8 percent of the population will be from African American backgrounds (cited in Baca-Zinn & Eitzen, 1996). The same document reports that 15.1 percent of the population is living in poverty; 22
Surface roughness exacerbated performance degradation in silicon nanowire transistors

Scaling of silicon devices is fast approaching the limit where a single gate will fail to retain an effective control over the channel region. Of the alternative devices being researched, silicon nanowire transistors (SNWTs) show great promise in terms of scalability, performance, and ease of fabrication. In this work, the authors present the results of self-consistent, three-dimensional fully quantum mechanical simulations of SNWTs to show the role of surface roughness (SR) on the device parameter variation of SNWTs. The authors find additional quantum interference to take place when SR is taken into account in addition to a discrete impurity distribution. Due to this, the variations of the SNWT operational parameters increase about their mean value, indicating a performance concern. However, it is also seen that the quantum interferences are dependent on the dopant locations to a large extent, and for devices with preferential dopant configurations, these effects can be overcome to obtain nearly ballist...
Confluent q-extensions of some classical determinants

Abstract We evaluate two determinants. The first is a q , h -extension of the classical confluent extension of the Vandermonde determinant. The second is a similar extension of Cauchy’s double alternant.
Theoretical Calculation of Thermodynamic Properties of Naphthalene, Methylnaphthalenes, and Dimethylnaphthalenes

For this work we performed quantum mechanical (QM) and statistical mechanical (SM) calculations to generate the entropy of 13 aromatic compoundsnaphthalene, 2 methylnaphthalene isomers, and 10 dimethylnaphthalene isomersin the ideal gas state. Density functional theory (DFT) was used to calculate the equilibrium structure and perform a full normal-mode analysis. The DFT level of theory used in this paper is B3LYP/6-31G(d,p). DFT has also been used to determine barriers for the internal rotation contribution to the entropy. For four compounds for which experimental data are available, the calculated entropies have been compared to the experimental values. The calculated entropies match experiment very well, with the percentage errors close to the experimental uncertainty, less than 0.4 %. The equilibrium distribution of dimethylnaphthalene isomers in the mixture is predicted using the calculated entropies and energies from QM and SM calculations in the 300 K to 740 K temperature range.