cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Training fMRI classifiers to discriminate cognitive states across multiple subjects

We consider learning to classify cognitive states of human subjects, based on their brain activity observed via functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). This problem is important because such classifiers constitute "virtual sensors" of hidden cognitive states, which may be useful in cognitive science research and clinical applications. In recent work, Mitchell, et al. [6,7,9] have demonstrated the feasibility of training such classifiers for individual human subjects (e.g., to distinguish whether the subject is reading an ambiguous or unambiguous sentence, or whether they are reading a noun or a verb). Here we extend that line of research, exploring how to train classifiers that can be applied across multiple human subjects, including subjects who were not involved in training the classifier. We describe the design of several machine learning approaches to training multiple-subject classifiers, and report experimental results demonstrating the success of these methods in learning cross-subject classifiers for two different fMRI data sets.
Percolation-based model for tunneling conductivity in systems of partially aligned cylinders

A model is developed for anisotropies in the conductivity in monodisperse systems of uniaxially aligned cylindrical fibers. Concepts from percolation theory (specifically, a lattice approach toward describing percolation by rods with large aspect ratios) are unified with a simple picture based upon resistors combined in series and parallel to calculate the conductivities in fiber-based nanocomposites in directions that are longitudinal and transverse with respect to the axis of particle alignment. Results obtained for three different orientational distribution functions (ODFs) reveal a peak in the dependence of the longitudinal conductivity upon mean orientational order parameter ($\ensuremath{\langle}S\ensuremath{\rangle}$), qualitatively similar to findings that have been reported from computer simulations. In contrast, the transverse conductivity decreases monotonically with increasing values of $\ensuremath{\langle}S\ensuremath{\rangle}$ for each of the ODFs investigated.
Arterial Blood Gas Analysis

Arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis plays a pivotal role in the management of critically ill patients. Although no randomized controlled study has ever been performed evaluating the benefit of ABG analysis in the ICU, it is likely that this technology stands alone as that diagnostic test which has had the greatest impact on the management of critically ill patients; this has likely been translated into improved outcomes. Prior to the 1960s clinicians were unable to detect hypoxemia until clinical cyanosis developed. ABG analysis became available in the late 1950s when techniques developed by Clark, Stow and coworkers, and Severinghaus and Bradley permitted the measurement of the partial pressures of oxygen (PaO2) and carbon dioxide (PaCO2) [1–3]. The ABG remains the definitive method to diagnose, categorize and quantitate respiratory failure. In addition, ABG analysis is the only clinically applicable method of assessing a patient’s acid-base status. ABGs are the most frequently ordered test in the ICU and have become essential to the management of critically ill patients [4]. Indeed, a defining requirement of an ICU is that a clinical laboratory should be available on a 24-h basis to provide blood gas analysis [5].
MARKOV CHAINS AND RADIATIVE TRANSFER

This chapter discusses Markov chains and radiative transfer. A Markov chain is a steady-state Markov process, and a Markov process is a special stochastic process in which the object undergoing the process can remember at most one stage of the process back in time. The simpler the internal structure of an object undergoing a stochastic process, the more closely the process can be Markovian. Radiative transfer processes on discrete spaces can essentially be described by Markov chains—or, at most, Markov processes. The first and simplest of all connections that are established between radiative transfer and Markov chains are for the case of monochromatic radiative transfer on a discrete space where the radiance is governed by the scattering functions for elastic scattering. The transpectral scattering function is the concept within the continuous formulation of the theory that describes the details of heterochromatic radiative transfer, that is, the transfer of radiant energy from one frequency to another at a given point within a medium.
On-Demand Trajectory Predictions for Interaction Aware Highway Driving

Highway driving places significant demands on human drivers and autonomous vehicles (AVs) alike due to high speeds and the complex interactions in dense traffic. Merging onto the highway poses additional challenges by limiting the amount of time available for decision-making. Predicting others' trajectories accurately and quickly is crucial to safely executing maneuvers. Many existing prediction methods based on neural networks have focused on modeling interactions to achieve better accuracy while assuming the existence of observation windows over 3s long. This paper proposes a novel probabilistic model for trajectory prediction that performs competitively with as little as 400ms of observations. The proposed model extends a deterministic car-following model to the probabilistic setting by treating model parameters as unknown random variables and introducing regularization terms. A realtime inference procedure is derived to estimate the parameters from observations in this new model. Experiments on dense traffic in the NGSIM dataset demonstrate that the proposed method achieves state-of-the-art performance with both highly constrained and more traditional observation windows.
Application of the APA ethics code for psychologists working in integrated care settings: Potential conflicts and resolutions

Increasingly, there is evidence of the potential benefits of an integrated care model. In fact, the American Psychological Association (APA) supports the role of psychologists in integrated healthc...
The Nature and Origins of Cancer

Cancer is a relentless threat to the well-being of individuals and society. Cancer incidence and cancer deaths are on the rise despite the US declaration of the “War on Cancer” in 1970 and the enormous resources devoted to cancer since then. One in three Americans will get cancer in their lifetime, so the disease and its consequences touch all Americans. Cancer is caused by mutations in adult stem cells that have the capacity to divide and proliferate in postnatal life. Mutations may occur as a result of side effects from normal biological processes or from mutating physical or chemical elements in the physical environment. Mutations occur randomly in stem cells, but to “initiate” a cancer, they must occur in a key gene that “drives” the process. These genes are of two types: oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Mutated oncogenes drive cell proliferation to very high rates, and mutated tumor suppressor genes lose their ability to fix or eliminate mutations when they occur. As the initiated cells grow, they acquire additional mutations that change their behavior and all them to outcompete normal cells in the body. This process takes many years. Ultimately, they are lethal because they overtake the body, traveling to, invading, and destroying normal tissues in various distant body sites. The most common cancers arise from epithelial tissues and are called carcinomas. The top cancer killers all come from epithelial stem cells: lung cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, and kidney cancer. This chapter explains the importance of understanding cancer and describes that basic steps in the process of developing cancer.
Native Defect Engineering in CuInTe2

Ternary diamond-like semiconductors, such as CuInTe2, are known to exhibit promising p-type thermoelectric performance. However, the interplay between growth conditions, native defects, and thermoe...
The Academic Workload

This chapter takes a comprehensive view as to what might be expected of practitioners that have recently transitioned to a role in the higher education space. Specifically, and important for any aspiring academic to understand, is just how different the workload and workload expectations are in higher education versus private industry or public accounting. Not only is the work itself different, encompassing teaching, service and research rather than preparing financial statements, returns, or issuing opinions, the very nature of the work is also different. Collaboration and cooperation are mainstays of graduate classes and the corporate workplace, be it remote or in-person, but a large component of the work of an academic takes place on an individual basis. Drilling into some of the specifics, including time management and the academic timeline for projects, this chapter seeks to provide a practical and realistic assessment of just what higher education and institutions of higher education expect from faculty, advisors, and practitioners entering the space. In addition, the weighing of different types of work, building on the discussion from Chapter 4, might differ from institution to institution. This chapter attempts to bring together the wide possible array of academic work and do so in a manner understandable as well able to applied practically.
The Chiapas Puzzle

For the twenty years following the Zapatista uprising (1994-2013), the federal government had placed a lot of resources and policy attention in an effort to reduce the large income gaps between Chiapas and the rest of Mexico. Public investment in schools, hospitals, and conditional cash transfer programs had been implemented, resulting in a significant improvement that did reduce the gap in terms of educational and health outcomes. Massive infrastructure projects had been undertaken to upgrade Chiapas' roads, ports and airports, boosting the connectivity of the state with markets within the state and elsewhere in Mexico. And yet, twenty years later the income gap between workers in Chiapas and the rest of Mexico had deepened, and Chiapas remains the poorest state in Mexico, with three quarters of its population poor and close to half in extreme poverty. Large productivity gaps - as proxied by wages - are not only observed between states, but have also expanded dramatically within the three sectors employing two-­thirds of the workers in Chiapas: Agriculture, wholesale and retail, and manufacturing. One year into his term as Finance Minister for the government of Enrique Pena Nieto (2013-2018), Luis Videgaray ponders the statistical evidence available and baffles at the puzzle. The case includes a series of videos featuring Luis Videgaray, Mexico’s former Secretary of Finance and Public Credit (2012-2016). In the first video, “The Chiapas Puzzle” (7:41 min.), to be viewed by students in preparation for the class, Mr. Videgaray explains the situation in Chiapas and the dilemmas he and the Mexican Government faced early on. The other three videos, “The Case of Yazaki” (3:55 min.), “Infrastructure and Political Economy” (4:19 min.), and “Takeaways” (5:03 min.) can be played as part of the class discussion. The videos can be viewed by clicking "Visit Website" on this page. A supplemental slide set is also included with this case. It contains key exhibits from the case, as well as information and visuals not available in the case, that can be used by the instructor in the discussion.
Abstract 2846: Stereotypic patterns and genomic correlates of organotropism in metastatic melanoma

Despite the major role that metastasis plays in the morbidity and mortality of melanoma, stereotyped patterns of metastasis and drivers of its organotropism in melanoma are still not well characterized, limited by a dearth of sequencing data in well-annotated clinical melanoma samples. To address these open questions, we performed an integrative analysis of clinical and genomic features from 243 patients with metastatic melanoma treated at Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI). Tumor biopsies were sequenced with OncoPanel, a next-generation sequencing panel that identifies mutations in 331 cancer genes. Presence of site metastases was evaluated radiographically pre-treatment for each patient; sites include lymph node (64% of cohort), soft tissue (59%), lung (57%), liver (32%), brain (24%), bone (22%), mesentery (12%), adrenal gland (9%), spleen (7%), and other metastatic sites (13%). Metastases showed significant co-occurrences (e.g. bone and lung, OR 2.8, 95% CI = [2.3, 3.3], p Patients with cutaneous melanoma (n=203) exhibited both site-specific and pattern-specific genomic correlates of metastatic organotropism that persist after correction for mutational burden. Tumors from patients with liver metastases showed significantly higher prevalence (p We present robust stereotypic patterns of metastasis and both site- and pattern-specific genomic correlates of organotropism in metastatic melanoma. By leveraging a valuable clinical/genomic data set, we nominate genetic correlates of organotropism for functional validation and potential therapeutic targets. Citation Format: William H. Ge, Giuseppe Tarantino, Emily Robitschek, Michael P. Manos, Lauren Eastman, Olivia Ouyang, Patrick Ott, Ann W. Silk, Osama E. Rahma, Alexander Gusev, Rizwan Haq, Elizabeth I. Buchbinder, Megan L. Insco, Stephen Hodi, Eliezer Van Allen, David Liu. Stereotypic patterns and genomic correlates of organotropism in metastatic melanoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 2846.
Evaluating the performance of drug-repurposing technologies.

Abstract Drug-repurposing technologies are growing in number and maturing. However, comparisons to each other and to reality are hindered because of a lack of consensus with respect to performance evaluation. Such comparability is necessary to determine scientific merit and to ensure that only meaningful predictions from repurposing technologies carry through to further validation and eventual patient use. Here, we review and compare performance evaluation measures for these technologies using version 2 of our shotgun repurposing Computational Analysis of Novel Drug Opportunities (CANDO) platform to illustrate their benefits, drawbacks, and limitations. Understanding and using different performance evaluation metrics ensures robust cross-platform comparability, enabling us to continue to strive toward optimal repurposing by decreasing the time and cost of drug discovery and development.
The Effects of Downsizing on Operating Performance

We examine the performance of 118 firms that downsized between 1989–1993. We find that downsizing firms experience declines in operating performance prior to the downsizing announcement. Operating performance improves significantly following the downsizing. These firms are able to reduce the cost of sales, labor cost, capital expenditures and R&D expenditures. We also find that firms that perform poorly in their industries prior to the downsizing and have increases in assets following the downsizing have larger improvements in performance. There is some evidence that the improvements are greater for firms that increase their focus.
A compact, nanosecond, high repetition rate pulse generator with water as dielectric and switch medium

Water, with its dielectric constant of epsiv=80, allows the design and construction of more compact pulse forming lines (PFLs) compared to PFLs where 'classical' dielectrics such as PTFE or other common insulators are used. With a dielectric strength exceeding 1 MV/cm gap distances can be reduced to several hundreds of micrometers, and still allow the switching of tens of kV. The small gaps allow us also to reduce the switch inductance and, consequently, to obtain high values of voltage and current rate of rise. Flowing the water through the switch at high speed allows us to remove debris and vapor bubbles left from previous shots, and to operate the switch at a high repetition rate. This work focuses on the design and operation of a compact pulsed power system with a water-filled Blumlein pulse forming line and a water switch integrated into the PFL. The pulse length of 40 ns is determined by the length of the Blumlein line, and the 10 Omega impedance by the PFL geometry and the dielectric (water). The holdoff voltage is 20 kV, and the voltage rise time is in the ns range. The pressurized water flow system used to clear the switch gap is expected to allow kHz repetition rate operation in a burst mode for several seconds
The mean activity coefficient of polystyrenesulphonic acid

The electromotive force of the concentration cell (Pt) H2/polystyrenesulphonic acid polystyrenesulphonic acid/H2 (Pt) with liquid-liquid junction was measured in the concentration range of the polystyrenesulphonic acid from 0.1 to 0.001 monomolal. The values of the mean activity coefficient, derived from these measurements, were compared with those calculated on the basis of the rodlike model. A very good agreement between theory and Zxperiment has been found. Die elektromotorische Kraft von Konzentrationsketten des Typs (Pt) H2/Polystyrolalfonsaure Polystyrolsulfonsaure/H2 (Pt) mit Flussigkeitsverbindung wurde im Molalitatsbereich von 0,1 bis 0,001 (bezogen auf Monomereinheiten) gemessen. Die aus diesen Messungen folgenden Werte fur den mittleren Aktivitatskoeffizienten wurden mit den auf Basis eines Stabehenmodells errechneten verglichen. Dabei ergab sich eine sehr gute Ubereinstimmung zwischen Theorie und Experiment.
Support for Implementation of Evolutionary Concurrent Systems

Concurrent programs that embed specifications of synchronizations in the body of their component are difficult to extend and modify. Small changes in a concurrent program, particularly changes in the interactions among components, may require re-implementation of a large number of components. Even specifications of components cannot be reused easily. This paper presents a concurrent program composition mechanism in which both specification and implementation of computations and interactions are completely separated. Separation of specifications and implementations facilitates extensions and modifications of programs by allowing one to separately change the implementations of computations and interactions. It also supports their reusability. The paper also describes the design and implementation of a concurrent object-oriented programming language based on this model, including a compiler for the language, and reports on the execution behavior of programs written in the language.
Methyl Violet: a Selective Agent for Differentiation of Klebsiella pneumoniae from Enterobacter aerogenes and Other Gram-Negative Organisms

Three selective media for differentiation of Klebsiella pneumoniae from Enterobacter aerogenes on the basis of colonial morphology were evaluated. Using methyl violet 2B as a selective agent, strains of K. pneumoniae isolated from urine, fresh water, and fresh produce were tested against other members of Enterobacteriaceae in addition to strains of Aeromonas hydrophila and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Comparison of colonial morphology showed K. pneumoniae produced larger, smoother colonies than other bacteria tested. These media were developed to aid in presumptive separation of K. pneumoniae from E. aerogenes in the monitoring of bacterial quality of water.
Radar cross section evaluation of the square trihedral corner reflector using PO and MEC

Physical optics (PO) and the method of equivalent currents (MEC) were applied to the square trihedral corner reflector to evaluate its monostatic radar cross section (RCS). PO was used for the calculation of first, second, and third reflections from the trihedral plates, whereas MEC was used for the calculation of the first order diffractions from the edges. A complex program has been developed to calculate both monostatic and bistatic RCS of the square trihedral corner reflector for E-theta polarization. The agreement between the two methods is very good. >
Evaluation of techniques to reduce deer and Elk damage to agricultural crops

Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) provide important recreational, ecological, and economic benefits, but can also cause substantial damage to agricultural crops. Cervid damage to agriculture creates challenges for wildlife agencies responsible for minimizing crop depredation while maintaining healthy deer and elk populations. Sunflower producers in southwestern Colorado, USA, have experienced high deer and elk damage and were interested in temporary methods to reduce damage that were cost-effective for rotational crops. To address this challenge, we investigated 3 temporary, non-lethal exclusion and repellent techniques for reducing deer and elk damage to sunflowers: 1) a polyrope electric fence, 2) the chemical repellent Plantskydd TM , and 3) a winged fence. During July through October 2011 and 2012, we used a randomized block design to test the efficacy of these techniques by quantifying cervid damage to sunflowers and the number of deer and elk tracks traversing treatmentandcontrolplotboundaries. Usinggeneralized linearmixed modelswefoundthatpolyropeelectric fences reduced deer and elk damage and presence within plots, while the repellent and winged fences did not reduce ungulate activity. Polyrope electric fences may be a suitable tool in areas where wildlife management agencies want to maintain deer and elk populations but reduce seasonal damage by cervids to high-value crops. In Colorado, use of an effective exclusion technique such as polyrope electric fence could also decrease the need for lethal depredation permits and damage compensation payments, and increase satisfaction among producers and thepublic.Published 2014. This articleisa U.S.Government work andisin thepublic domain in the USA.
Semi-Global Stabilization of Partially Linear Composite Systems via Linear High-and-Low-Gain State Feedback

This paper extends the recent results of [8] on semi-global stabilisation of a class of minimum-phase nonlinear systems via linear state feedback. The class of minimum-phase nonlinear systems considered in this paper subsume those of [8]. More specifically, we show, by explicit construction of the control laws, that a cascade of linear stabilisable and nonlinear asymptotically stable subsystems is semi-globally stabilisable by a linear dynamic feedback of the state of the linear subsystem if the linear subsystem is right invertible and has all its invariant seros in the closed left half s-plane. Our proposed linear dynamic state feedback control law has a single tunable gain parameter that allows for local asymptotical stability and regulation to the origin for any initial condition in some a priori given (arbitrarily large) bounded set.
Dynamic Parallelization and Vectorization of Binary Executables on Hierarchical Platforms

As performance improvements are being increasingly sought via coarse-grained parallelism, established expectations of continued sequential performance increases are not being met. Current trends in computing point toward platforms seeking performance improvements through various degrees of parallelism, with coarse-grained parallelism features becoming commonplace in even entry-level systems. Yet the broad variety of multiprocessor configurations that will be available that dier in the number of processing elements will make it dicult to statically create a single parallel version of a program that performs well on the whole range of such hardware. As a result, there will soon be a vast number of multiprocessor systems that are significantly under-utilized for lack of software that harnesses their power eectively. This problem is exacerbated by the growing inventory of legacy programs in binary executable form with possibly unreachable source code. We present a system that improves the performance of optimized sequential binaries through dynamic recompilation. Leveraging observations made at runtime, a thin software layer recompiles executing code compiled for a uniprocessor and generates parallelized and/or vectorized code segments that exploit available parallel resources. Among the techniques employed are control speculation, loop distribution across several threads, and automatic parallelization of recursive routines. Our solution is entirely software-based and can be ported to existing hardware platforms that have parallel processing capabilities. Our performance results are obtained on real hardware without using simulation. In preliminary benchmarks on only modestly parallel (2-way) hardware, our system already provides speedups of up to 40% on SpecCPU benchmarks, and near-optimal speedups on more obviously parallelizable benchmarks.
Electron Transfer in Coordination Compounds

The transfer of an electron between a transition metal donor and a transition metal acceptor can be promoted by the absorption of either thermal or light energy. The thermal processes have been experimentally determined to span a range of about 1020 in their ambient rates of electron transfer. The same molecular properties that determine the electron-transfer reactivity also determine the correlated electron-transfer absorption or emission band energy, band shape, and absorptivity. The relationships between the thermal-kinetic and the spectroscopic observations are relatively simple when there is very little electron delocalization between the donor and acceptor, the weak-coupling limit. This limit applies to most bimolecular electron-transfer reactions of transition metals and to the spectroscopy of transition metal ion pairs; this is the limit treated well by Marcus theory. When the donor and acceptor are covalently linked, interactions of the donor and acceptor with the linker often increase the coupling in such a way as to enhance the reactivity and to alter the spectroscopy. Most of these linker-induced changes of reactivity and spectroscopy can be treated in terms of perturbation theory-based alterations of the behavior in the weak-coupling limit. Reactivity in some very strongly coupled complexes seems to fall outside the standard theoretical framework; many such systems seem to implicate nuclear motions of the linker in facilitating the donor–acceptor electronic coupling. Extensions to biological, multicentered, and heterogeneous systems containing transition metal complexes are briefly considered. Keywords: acceptor; adiabatic; charge transfer; diabatic; donor; electronic coupling; electron transfer; electronic coupling; Franck–Condon factor; Franck–Condon parameters; ion-pair charge transfer; nonadiabatic; nuclear tunneling; reorganizational energy; vibronic coupling
Regulation of Synaptic Plasticity Genes during Consolidation of Fear Conditioning

In mammals, long-term memory induced by Pavlovian fear conditioning has been shown to be dependent on the amygdala during a protein and mRNA synthesis-dependent phase of memory consolidation. We have used genes identified in a kainic acid model of synaptic plasticity as in situ hybridization probes during the consolidation period after fear conditioning. We found that these genes were transcriptionally regulated in several brain areas only when stimuli were presented in a manner that supported behavioral learning and not after unpaired presentations or footshocks alone. Immediate early genes and neurofilament mRNA peaked ∼30 min after conditioning, as expected. Interestingly, nurr-1 , α-actinin, and 16c8 increased ∼2–4 hr later, whereas neurogranin and gephyrin decreased during that time. Our results suggest that fear memory consolidation occurs within a broad neural circuit that includes, but is not limited to, the amygdala. Together, a broad array of transcriptionally regulated genes, encoding transcription factors, cytoskeletal proteins, adhesion molecules, and receptor stabilization molecules, appear to mediate the neural plasticity underlying specific forms of long-term memory in mammals.
Political Violence in Post-WWII Italy

In Italy the Second World War ended on 25 April 1945. The violence did not. In the Northern and Central regions it continued for more than a year. Its magnitude did not pass unobserved to historians but the engagement of social scientists with the topic of post-conflict violence in general has been limited. This paper aims to fill this gap through a structured comparison. Focusing on two provinces of the Emilia-Romagna region, Modena and Reggio Emilia, I argue that existing explanations of post-conflict violence cannot fully account for its spatial variations in the Italian case. I offer an alternative argument: rather than a way of dealing with the past, violence in postwar Italy aimed to influence the country’s political future. The strategic calculations and political preference of former resistance leaders determined its spatial distribution.
Staphylococcus aureus Biofilms Prevent Macrophage Phagocytosis and Attenuate Inflammation In Vivo

Biofilms are complex communities of bacteria encased in a matrix composed primarily of polysaccharides, extracellular DNA, and protein. Staphylococcus aureus can form biofilm infections, which are often debilitating due to their chronicity and recalcitrance to antibiotic therapy. Currently, the immune mechanisms elicited during biofilm growth and their impact on bacterial clearance remain to be defined. We used a mouse model of catheter-associated biofilm infection to assess the functional importance of TLR2 and TLR9 in the host immune response during biofilm formation, because ligands for both receptors are present within the biofilm. Interestingly, neither TLR2 nor TLR9 impacted bacterial density or inflammatory mediator secretion during biofilm growth in vivo, suggesting that S. aureus biofilms circumvent these traditional bacterial recognition pathways. Several potential mechanisms were identified to account for biofilm evasion of innate immunity, including significant reductions in IL-1β, TNF-α, CXCL2, and CCL2 expression during biofilm infection compared with the wound healing response elicited by sterile catheters, limited macrophage invasion into biofilms in vivo, and a skewing of the immune response away from a microbicidal phenotype as evidenced by decreases in inducible NO synthase expression concomitant with robust arginase-1 induction. Coculture studies of macrophages with S. aureus biofilms in vitro revealed that macrophages successful at biofilm invasion displayed limited phagocytosis and gene expression patterns reminiscent of alternatively activated M2 macrophages. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that S. aureus biofilms are capable of attenuating traditional host proinflammatory responses, which may explain why biofilm infections persist in an immunocompetent host.
Induced pluripotent stem cell models of Zellweger spectrum disorder show impaired peroxisome assembly and cell type-specific lipid abnormalities

Zellweger spectrum disorder (PBD-ZSD) is a disease continuum caused by mutations in a subset of PEX genes required for normal peroxisome assembly and function. They highlight the importance of peroxisomes in the development and functions of the central nervous system, liver, and other organs. To date, the underlying bases for the cell-type specificity of disease are not fully elucidated. Primary skin fibroblasts from seven PBD-ZSD patients with biallelic PEX1, PEX10, PEX12, or PEX26 mutations and three healthy donors were transduced with retroviral vectors expressing Yamanaka reprogramming factors. Candidate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were subject to global gene expression, DNA methylation, copy number variation, genotyping, in vitro differentiation and teratoma formation assays. Confirmed iPSCs were differentiated into neural progenitor cells (NPCs), neurons, oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs), and hepatocyte-like cell cultures with peroxisome assembly evaluated by microscopy. Saturated very long chain fatty acid (sVLCFA) and plasmalogen levels were determined in primary fibroblasts and their derivatives. iPSCs were derived from seven PBD-ZSD patient-derived fibroblasts with mild to severe peroxisome assembly defects. Although patient and control skin fibroblasts had similar gene expression profiles, genes related to mitochondrial functions and organelle cross-talk were differentially expressed among corresponding iPSCs. Mitochondrial DNA levels were consistent among patient and control fibroblasts, but varied among all iPSCs. Relative to matching controls, sVLCFA levels were elevated in patient-derived fibroblasts, reduced in patient-derived iPSCs, and not significantly different in patient-derived NPCs. All cell types derived from donors with biallelic null mutations in a PEX gene showed plasmalogen deficiencies. Reporter gene assays compatible with high content screening (HCS) indicated patient-derived OPC and hepatocyte-like cell cultures had impaired peroxisome assembly. Normal peroxisome activity levels are not required for cellular reprogramming of skin fibroblasts. Patient iPSC gene expression profiles were consistent with hypotheses highlighting the role of altered mitochondrial activities and organelle cross-talk in PBD-ZSD pathogenesis. sVLCFA abnormalities dramatically differed among patient cell types, similar to observations made in iPSC models of X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy. We propose that iPSCs could assist investigations into the cell type-specificity of peroxisomal activities, toxicology studies, and in HCS for targeted therapies for peroxisome-related disorders.
Perinatal cocaine exposure inhibits the development of the male SDN

The sexually dimorphic nucleus of the hypothalamus (SDN) is involved in sexual differentiation of the rat brain. Perinatal cocaine exposure was found to significantly reduce the volume of the male rat SDN (P < 0.001) while having no effect upon the volume of the female SDN. Pregnant dams and their pups were exposed to either saline, 7.5, 15, or 30 mg/kg of cocaine from gestational day 15 through postnatal day 10. Litter size, pup weight, male-female sex ratio, and gross birth defects were unaffected, but maternal weight gain was significantly reduced in cocaine-treated dams. These findings imply that males perinatally exposed to cocaine during their critical period of SDN differentiation may exhibit compromised coital capabilities as well as impaired gonadotropin regulation.
The 2013 ANTIPODE AAG Lecture The Environment Making State: Territory, Nature, and Value

My argument is that the state is fundamental to the value form because it delivers the use values of non-human nature to the process of capital accumulation. Capital cannot, and historically does not, capture non-human nature without the participation of the state. The state delivers the utilities of extra-human nature to the accumulation process by creating property regimes, physical infrastructure, and scientific knowledge. As such, the state is a crucial under-theorized political membrane in the ecological metabolism of capitalism and the value form. The capitalist states inherently environmental qualities are rooted in its fundamentally territorial qualities. Where are the utilities of non-human nature found? On the surface of the earth. What institutions ultimately control the surface of the earth? Territorially defined national states. The example of state formation in the early years of the United States is used to illustrate these ideas.
Determination of enzyme substrates with an extended range of linearity

Abstract This paper examines the possibility of using a one-component kinetic model for determination of l -amino acids having concentrations near or greater than their Michaelis constants. A commercial nonlinear regression program is used to fit data for absorbance and rate vs. time to the model and to the Michaelis-Menten equation. Coupled l -amino acid oxidase reactions are used to estimate such kinetic parameters as the maximum velocity, V m , the Michaelis constant, K m , and the forward rate constant, k 1 . A conventional mixing method and an air-segmented continuous flow (ASCF)/stopped-flow method are applied to monitor the time course of the reaction. The correlation of results obtained between the two methods is studied. The accuracy and precision of the analytical results obtained by the proposed method are reported and compared to those obtained from the Michaelis-Menten model and from double reciprocal plots.
Memantine for prevention of migraine: a retrospective study of 60 cases

The objective was to retrospectively characterise the efficacy of memantine as preventive therapy in a series of patients with frequent migraine. Patients in a university headache clinic completed a survey regarding their experience with memantine, and medical records were reviewed. All patients who received memantine as preventive therapy for migraine over a 15-month period were mailed surveys and consent forms for record review. Patients were treated with memantine beginning at a dose of 5 mg/day, increasing if needed by 5 mg/week up to 10 mg twice a day. The majority of patients (36 out of 54) treated with memantine for at least 2 months reported a significant reduction in estimated headache frequency, and improved function. Side effects were uncommon and generally mild. This limited retrospective case review suggests that memantine may be an effective preventive therapy for patients with frequent migraine. A prospective trial is warranted.
Filtration of green algae and cyanobacteria by Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, in the Partitioned Aquaculture System

Abstract Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus , held in a timed pulse fed Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR) were provided Partitioned Aquaculture System (PAS) algal-rich water dominated by green algae (i.e., Scenedesmus and Ankistrodesmus ) and cyanobacteria (i.e., Microcystis and Merismopedia ) to determine filtration rates (FR). A similar number and size of tilapias were stocked at 1.5 kg/tank into each of the six CSTRs (127 l) for 58-h experiment period. The cell counts of phytoplankton in water filtered by tilapias indicated significant reduction in green algae and cyanobacteria. Nile tilapia was more effective filtering the larger particle size taxa in both water sources. FR measured as mg of particulate organic carbon (POC) per kg wet fish weight per hour increased as POC increased. A curvilinear filter-feeding rate model provided a maximum filtration rate (FR max ) of 641 mgC/kg/h at 26 mgC/l in green algal-dominated water. The projected FR max of cyanobacterial-dominated water was 865 mgC/kg/h at 59 mgC/l. The derived filter-feeding rate models will help to describe Nile tilapia filtration kinetics in the PAS and the potential for control of nuisance cyanobacteria.
Touchplates: low-cost tactile overlays for visually impaired touch screen users

Adding tactile feedback to touch screens can improve their accessibility to blind users, but prior approaches to integrating tactile feedback with touch screens have either offered limited functionality or required extensive (and typically expensive) customization of the hardware. We introduce touchplates, carefully designed tactile guides that provide tactile feedback for touch screens in the form of physical guides that are overlaid on the screen and recognized by the underlying application. Unlike prior approaches to integrating tactile feedback with touch screens, touchplates are implemented with simple plastics and use standard touch screen software, making them versatile and inexpensive. Touchplates may be customized to suit individual users and applications, and may be produced on a laser cutter, 3D printer, or made by hand. We describe the design and implementation of touchplates, a "starter kit" of touchplates, and feedback from a formative evaluation with 9 people with visual impairments. Touchplates provide a low-cost, adaptable, and accessible method of adding tactile feedback to touch screen interfaces.
Comparison of various β-glucosidase assays used to diagnose gaucher's disease

Abstract Gaucher's diselse is an inborn error of metabolism in which glucocerebroside accumulates in cells of the reticuloendothelial system due to a marked deficiency in the activity of lysosomal glucocerebrosidase. Five different published fluorometric assay procedures that utilize 4-methylumbelliferyl-β-D-gluco-pyranoside as the substrate to determine β-glucosidase activity in fibroblasts, leukocytes and liver from patients and heterozygote carriers of Gaucher's disease were compared with the results obtained using a glucocerebrosidase assay that employed authentic radiolabeled glucocerebroside as the substrate. When cultured skin fibroblasts were used as a source of enzyme, fluorometric β-glucosidase assays performed either at pH 4–4.05 in the absence of sodium taurocholate or at pH 5.4–5.5 in the presence of the bile salt, all proved effective in confirming the diagnosis of Gaucher's disease and in identifying heterozygous carriers of the disease. The fluorometric β-glucosidase assay procedures that were most effective in evaluating relative glucocerebrosidase activity in leukocytes from patients and carriers of Gaucher's disease were those that included sodium taurocholate in the incubation medium. When human liver biopsy served as the source of enzyme, only the glucocerebrosidase assay employing authentic glucocerebroside substrate proved effective in confirming the diagnosis of Gaucher's disease: fluorometric assays performed at pH 4 or pH 5.4–5.5 in the presence or absence of the bile salt sodium taurocholate do not always identify patients with Gaucher's disease.
The direction of trade — past and present — and the ‘learning effects’ of exports to different directions

Abstract This paper looks at the direction of trade in manufacturer. The pattern predicted by the HOS model hasn'r materialized. But some sense of the historical pattern is made by looking at the distribution of world income, as well as exporting countries' policies and product composition. Given the historical pattern and in particular the direction of Japan's trade, it is argued that developing countries today are under-exporting to one another. This is to their detriment insofar as trade among less developed countries teends to be comprised of manufactures that are skill-and learning-intensive. The scope for an increase in such trade is assessed.
The Division of Labor, Alienation, and Anomie: A Reformulation

This paper attempts to identify the structural relationship that links the sociological process of the division of labor to the socio-psychological states associated with alienation and anomie. The...
Is Transformative Learning Illiberal? Some Considerations in Applying the Learning Paradigm in Out-Of-Class Settings

Transformative learning is a view of education that is holistic, integrated, and developmental. Although it is rooted in the tradition of the liberal arts, it also affirms a new learning paradigm that is receiving considerable attention today, especially among student affairs professionals in higher education. Yet, transformative learning is criticized by some as antithetical to particular important principles of liberal education. These issues are discussed with recommendations for ways to implement transformative learning in out-of-class educational settings.
A Social Cognitive Theory Approach to the Effects of Mediated Intergroup Contact on Intergroup Attitudes

This research applies a social cognitive theory perspective to the study of mediated intergroup contact. It was hypothesized that exposure to positive intergroup contact on television would be associated with more positive intergroup attitudes. Some support for this hypothesis was found for exposure to gay-straight and Black-White interactions. It was also hypothesized that identification with a character belonging to the viewer's ingroup and perceived typicality of a character from an outgroup would be associated with more positive intergroup attitudes. Some support for these hypotheses emerged with regard to associations between exposure to televised gay-straight interactions and homophobic attitudes.
Interactive multimedia CD-ROMs for education

With the availability of a variety of software for multimedia development and CD-ROM mastering and the growing capabilities of the hardware for personal computers, there has been a significant increase in interest in the development and production of multimedia modules for education. In this article we briefly highlight some of the multimedia CD-ROMs developed by the CAEME Center for Multimedia Education and Technology. The tradeoffs involved in these developments are highlighted and procedures for enhancing students interactivity in using and learning from these lesson are described. More recent research and development efforts by CAEME to use virtual reality technology in education are also discussed. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
When and how do differences matter? An exploration of perceived similarity in teams

Abstract In this paper, we directly assess perceived similarity—the degree to which members view themselves as having few differences—because we want to understand when teams notice diversity on various member characteristics and how they interpret it. Our results indicate social category diversity was related to initial estimates of both perceived social category similarity (SCS) and perceived work style similarity (WSS). And, whereas perceived SCS did not change over time, perceived WSS decreased significantly over the period of our study. We suggest this change in perceived WSS can be explained by an information-processing/decision-making framework. We found informational diversity was positively related to conflict in teams, and in turn conflict was negatively related to subsequent estimates of perceived WSS. However, informational diversity was positively related to information sharing in teams, which in turn was positively related to subsequent estimates of perceived WSS. Finally, these updated estimates of perceived WSS affected subgroup formation and team process effectiveness. We discuss how our research explores the subjective experience of diversity by team members, provides a dynamic view of the relationship between diversity and team outcomes, and informs emerging theory about the activation of faultlines in teams.