cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Suicide prevention in an army infantry division : A multi-disciplinary program

This article is intended to provide an overview of the 25th Infantry Division (Light) Suicide Prevention Program. A multidisciplinary intervention model, it outlines the role of chaplains and division mental health officers as well as indicators or warning signs relevant to army personnel who have committed suicide. Prevention strategies applicable to the military community, including Crisis Intervention Command Consultations, will be recommended. It is hoped that this information will not only assist professionals in identifying personnel at risk for suicide, but aid in the development of other suicide prevention programs.
Dark Matter Coannihilation with a Lighter Species.

We propose a new thermal freeze-out mechanism for ultraheavy dark matter. Dark matter coannihilates with a lighter unstable species that is nearby in mass, leading to an annihilation rate that is exponentially enhanced relative to standard weakly interactive massive particles. This scenario destabilizes any potential dark matter candidate. In order to remain consistent with astrophysical observations, our proposal necessitates very long-lived states, motivating striking phenomenology associated with the late decays of ultraheavy dark matter, potentially as massive as the scale of grand unified theories, ${M}_{\mathrm{GUT}}\ensuremath{\sim}{10}^{16}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}$.
Solving possibilistic linear programming

Abstract We present a solution to certain possibilistic linear programming problems which have been previously introduced in [1].
Waking up in a Car

It is glittery, excited, like so many things laid down silently in the night, with no one watching. Through the two lower panes, the trunks of the maple can dimly be seen, sober as Europe. The frost wavers, it hurries over the world, it is like a body that lies in the coffin, and the next moment has disappeared. In its own skin the mind picks up the radio signals of death, reminders of the molecules flying all about the universe, the icy disembarking, chill fingertips, tulips at head and foot. I look at the upper panes and see more complicated roads . . . ribbons thrown on the road . . .
Beyond the Multiple Punishment Problem: Punitive Damages as Punishment for Individual, Private Wrongs

The practice of using punitive damages to punish a tort defendant, in a single case brought by a single one of many victims, for the full scope of societal harm caused by its entire course of wrongful conduct has become increasingly common in modern tort cases. This practice presents the troubling possibility that more than one victim will recover punitive damages awards that were each designed to punish the defendant fully for the same course of wrongful conduct, resulting in unjustly severe cumulative punishment. Many courts and commentators have responded to this "multiple punishment" problem with complex and far-reaching proposals designed to protect against it. This Article argues that these observers have been asking the wrong question. The proper question is not whether awarding these "total harm" punitive damages to more than one victim can sometimes lead to unconstitutional results, but rather whether awarding these damages to even a single victim is itself unconstitutional. This Article argues that it is. These "total harm" punitive damages awards are a product of the modern conception of punitive damages, which imagines them as punishment for public, societal wrongs. This Article challenges the historical accuracy of this modern theoretical account, and reveals that historically, punitive damages were considered to be punishment only for the distinct, private legal wrong done to the individual victim. When the same conduct harmed more than one victim, the courts limited each plaintiff's recovery of punitive damages to the amount necessary to punish the defendant only for the private wrong done to the individual plaintiff. This Article argues that both historically and presently, the constitutionality of punitive damages is dependant upon their existence as punishment for individual, private wrongs, rather than public, societal wrongs. Thus, the revolutionary proposals offered by commentators seeking to solve the multiple punishment problem go both too far (by declaring that the Constitution requires radical alterations to traditional punitive damages practice) and not far enough (by assuming that the constitutional infirmity of "total harm" punitive damages lies only in multiple awards of them). This Article argues that the constitutional concerns are best addressed by returning to the roots of punitive damages doctrine and re-implementing the historical conception of punitive damages as punishment for the private wrong done to the individual plaintiff.
Exploring Energy Efficient Procurement Options in Building Construction

There has been a significant increase in interest and research activities in energy efficient building construction in recent years. In the construction phase of building’s life cycle, contractors provide resources and select means and methods of construction. To make the construction phase less energy intensive, the contractor has to purchase the required resources from the jobsite proximity to minimize the transportation energy. Sometimes, it might not be possible to analyze and practice energy saving measures for the whole project because of time and budget constraints during this phase. Therefore, it will be helpful to a contractor if he can focus on the most energy consuming activities on the project. This is possible, if the contractor has access to energy data of the project to identify which activity’s resources consume the most energy. The contractor may then explore less energy intensive alternatives, and procurement methods that are available for those resources. This research focuses on applying IT to tackle the issue by developing a spreadsheet-based tool to estimate energy consumption in material and equipment procurement for construction activities of a project. The proposed method uses the project’s bill of quantity, and data related to materials transportation and equipment operation to estimate the probable energy consumption during construction. A case study was performed to demonstrate the application of the tool and discuss possible alternatives to save energy consumption. The proposed method allows contractors to identify energy intensive activities during construction and deploy energy efficient procurement to reduce energy consumption of a particular project.
Oil Spills Detection by Means of Uas and Low-Cost Airborne Thermal Sensors

Abstract. This paper provides an overview of oil spill scenarios and the remote sensing methods used for detection and mapping the spills. It also discusses the different kinds of thermal sensors used in oil spills detection. As UAS is becoming an important player in the oil and gas industry for the low operating costs involved, this research involved working with a cheap thermal airborne sensor mounted on DJI Phantom 4 system. Data were collected in two scenarios, first scenario is collecting data in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula at a petroleum company location and the second scenario was an indoor experiment simulating an offshore spill. The aim of this research is to inspect the capability of Lepton LWIR inexpensive sensor to detect the areas contaminated with oil. Data processing to create classification maps involved using ArcGIS 10.5.1, ERDAS Imagine 2015 and ENVI 5.3. Depending accuracy assessment (confusion matrices) for the classified images and comparing classified images with ground truth, results shows the Lepton thermal sensor worked well in differentiating oil from water and was not a good option when there are many objects in the area of interest. Future research recommendations and conclusions are presented.
UNIT B2.2 Radiofrequency Excitation

This unit presents an in-depth discussion of the radiofrequency field, including how variations in the RF field will cause variations in image intensity that are independent of the physical spin density and the effect of slice select gradients. Keywords: signal; Bloch equations; spatially varying RF excitation; two-dimensional beam excitation
Matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9 are elevated in human preterm laboring uterine myometrium and exacerbate uterine contractility

Matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9 (MMP2/9) have previously been shown to be elevated in serum and amniotic fluid from women undergoing preterm birth. We performed experiments to determine the effects of MMP2/9 on uterine contraction and birth timing. Pregnant mice were injected daily with 50 mg/kg of SB-3CT or vehicle control beginning on gestational day 14-18 to determine if MMP2/9 inhibition would affect parturition timing. MMP2/9 expression in human myometrial tissue was determined by Simple Western (Wes) and semiquantitative western blot. Purified MMP2/9 and SB-3CT inhibitor were added to human myometrial strips to determine the effects of MMP2/9 on oxytocin-induced uterine contraction. Parturition was delayed in mice treated with MMP2/9 inhibitor SB-3CT. MMP2/9 protein levels were elevated in preterm laboring uterine myometrium. Gelatinase activity was confirmed in cell extracts and supernatants from immortalized and primary human uterine myometrial cells in culture. Addition of purified MMP2/9 increased the oxytocin-induced contractile response in myometrial tissue strips from pregnant women. In contrast, addition of the MMP2/9 inhibitor SB-3CT decreased the contractile response to oxytocin in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest abnormal MMP2/9 expression affects the contractile state of the uterine myometrium to promote parturition and that MMP2/9 inhibition attenuates this effect.
Supporting Data Science in the Statistics Curriculum

This article describes a collaborative project across three institutions to develop, implement, and evaluate a series of tutorials and case studies that highlight fundamental tools of data science—...
RP3V kisspeptin neurons mediate neuroprogesterone induction of the luteinizing hormone surge in female rat

ABSTRACT To induce ovulation, neural circuits are sequentially activated by estradiol and progesterone. In female rodents, estradiol-induced neuroprogesterone, synthesized in astrocytes, is essential for the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge and subsequently, ovulation. However, the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons do not express the steroid receptors necessary for reproduction: progesterone receptors (PGR) or estrogen receptor-α (ERα). Steroid information is transduced by rostral periventricular (RP3V) kisspeptin neurons that express ERα and PGR and innervate GnRH neurons in the diagonal band of Broca (DBB) and the medial septum. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that estradiol induced neuroprogesterone needed for the LH surge is mediated by kisspeptin. Neuroprogesterone synthesis was inhibited with aminoglutethimide (AGT; s.c.) in 17β-estradiol benzoate (EB)-primed, ovariectomized (ovx) and adrenalectomized (adx) rats. Kisspeptin-10 (20 nmol/µl) was infused into the DBB, trunk blood was collected 53 hours post-EB injection, and serum LH levels were analyzed by ELISA. AGT inhibition of neuroprogesterone synthesis blocked the EB-induced LH surge. Subsequent treatment with either progesterone or DBB kisspeptin-10 infusion restored the LH surge. Kisspeptin restored the LH surge, which was blocked by DBB infusion of kisspeptin receptor (GPR54) antagonist (kisspeptin-234). Finally, knockdown of kisspeptin protein levels in the RP3V with kisspeptin antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) significantly lowered LH levels in EB-primed rats compared to scrambled ODN, demonstrating the importance of endogenous RP3V kisspeptin for the LH surge. These results support the hypothesis that neuroprogesterone induces both kisspeptin release from RP3V neurons impacting the LH surge.
Multiple Barrier Function Certificates for Weak Forward Invariance in Hybrid Inclusions

Weakly forward (pre-)invariant sets guarantee the existence of at least one maximal solution, when starting from any point in the set, that stays in that set. As a continuation to prior works and using multiple barrier functions, this paper studies weak forward invariance in hybrid systems modeled by constrained inclusions. We propose sufficient conditions to guarantee weak forward invariance of a closed set generated by the intersection of the zero-sublevel sets of the different components of a (vector) function called multiple barrier function. Our sufficient conditions are in terms of the multiple barrier function generating the set. Moreover, along the flow part of the hybrid system, our conditions are of two types. The first type of flow conditions need to hold only at the boundary of the set and weak forward invariance is shown by imposing transversality conditions on the intersection between the zero-sublevel sets of the components of the barrier function. The second type of conditions require both transversality and flow conditions on an external complement of the boundary of the considered set. Examples throughout the paper illustrate the results.
Entanglement in Cyberspace: Minding the Deterrence Gap

Conventional models of deterrence focus on the ability to deter adversaries through ex-ante threats that impose ex-post costs or through the elevation of ex-ante costs through strategies that deny....
Construction of a Taxonomy for Tools, Languages, and Environments across Computing Education

The sheer number of tools, languages, and environments (TLEs) used in computing education has proliferated in the last few years as more tools are developed to meet new demands of the growing amount of K-12 computing education that has been undertaken. However, there is little formalized language at either the K-12 or post-secondary level that provides for a way to classify these TLEs for discussing research and for classifying in databases. In this research study, we step through a formal process for building a taxonomy for TLEs. As part of the supporting research, we first discuss the importance of taxonomies and classification systems in computing education, provide a formal method for building a taxonomy, and provide working definitions of TLEs based on previous literature. This is followed by a systematic literature review using a widely-accepted methodology for finding articles that have examined TLEs in primary, secondary, and post-secondary computing education. This literature review focuses on studies that looked at multiple TLEs and specifically attempted to classify or categorize them. We then propose a new taxonomy for classifying TLEs and provide definitions and samples for each category. This is followed by a discussion of the next steps in vetting the taxonomy and the challenges and issues that need to be considered when evaluating it for classifying TLEs in computing education.
100th Anniversary of Macromolecular Science Viewpoint: Engineering Supramolecular Materials for Responsive Applications—Design and Functionality

Supramolecular polymers allow access to dynamic materials, where noncovalent interactions can be used to offer both enhanced material toughness and stimuli-responsiveness. The versatility of self-a...
Generating Standard Operating Procedures for the Manipulation of Hazardous Chemicals in Academic Laboratories

Generating standard operating procedures (SOPs) for high-risk chemical processes where toxic, pyrophoric, self-reactive, or energetic materials are used is necessary for academic research safety. W...
The Survival of Haemophilus Somnus on Transport Swabs

Since its initial description (4), Haemophilus somnus has been implicated as an important opportunist pathogen of cattle and of particular relevance is its role in bovine respiratory disease (5). Recovery of the organism from field specimens is often difficult and a number of selective media have been described (1,2) which can enhance it, but the manner in which the specimen is taken and subsequently treated can significantly affect the likelihood of successful recovery of this bacterium. It has been shown experimentally that the length of survival of H. somnus following inoculation into both bovine secretions (3) and alginate swabs (1) is temperature dependent. Since swabs taken from field specimens may need to be sent some distance to a laboratory before primary culture we report here the effect of storage temperature and composition of the transport medium on the rate of recovery of H. somnus from experimentally inoculated laryngeal swabs.
Elitist Democracy and Epistemic Equality: Aristotle and Ibn Rushd on the Role of Common Beliefs

Classical political thought relied on an elite-masses distinction for governance; only those able to obtain and appreciate elite educations were suited to rule. Such hierarchies run contrary to modern democratic aspirations of equality and self-government, however, even as educated leaders are all the more urgently needed. How, then, can modern democrats pursue equality while insisting on higher standards of knowledge and wisdom in their leaders? This chapter analyzes Aristotle’s “endoxic method” approach to political and moral inquiry and the related “immediate point of view” (bādi al-rāʾi) epistemology of his medieval Muslim commentator Ibn Rushd (Averroes). By beginning deliberation from “common beliefs” about political and moral questions rather than from elite knowledge, these methods model an epistemological humility that is appealing to the late-modern political thinker, yet they retain the rigors of philosophical investigation, thus providing a mean between the extremes of elitist arrogance and populist relativism that is well suited to the contemporary political moment.
Impact and Sustainability of a 10-year Community Pharmacy Disease Management Service.

Background Community pharmacy practice needs to demonstrate services beyond traditional dispensing roles to continue to function in a changing marketplace. Pharmacists have established themselves as being capable of improving patient outcomes and saving healthcare dollars by providing disease management services to patients. This paper describes a sustained community pharmacy-run disease management program that continued after a grassroots grant-funding effort in 2007. Methods The city of Colorado Springs recognized the successes shown by the pharmacy during the Ten City Challenge funded project, and decided to financially support pharmacy diabetes care services. Partnering with the local School of Pharmacy, the pharmacist obtained advanced training and continued to deliver individualized counseling and management to approximately 100 patients per year for the past 14 years. Objective lab measurements (systolic and diastolic blood pressures, A1C values, total lipid profiles) were obtained or performed, and clinical goals were set based on national guidelines. Patients received a series of appointments to learn how to control their diabetes, and later their cardiovascular disease. Financial estimates were calculated using 2008 baseline numbers and adding estimated inflation based on published Segal rates. Results The pharmacy services successfully maintained participation of approximately 100 patients annually each year since its inception. Average lab value markers for disease control were at or close to clinical guideline recommendations for the population. Services were associated with estimated cost savings for the health system. Positive results led to expansion in services to include cardiovascular disease in 2017. Conclusions A community pharmacy has successfully sustained a disease management program for patients for over 14 years, demonstrating high patient enrollment, health outcomes at or near clinical guidelines for control, and positive financial outcomes associated with the program.
A multicenter validation of the condylar–C2 sagittal vertical alignment in Chiari malformation type I: a study using the Park-Reeves Syringomyelia Research Consortium

OBJECTIVE The condylar-C2 sagittal vertical alignment (C-C2SVA) describes the relationship between the occipitoatlantal joint and C2 in patients with Chiari malformation type I (CM-I). It has been suggested that a C-C2SVA ≥ 5 mm is predictive of the need for occipitocervical fusion (OCF) or ventral brainstem decompression (VBD). The authors' objective was to validate the predictive utility of the C-C2SVA by using a large, multicenter cohort of patients. METHODS This validation study used a cohort of patients derived from the Park-Reeves Syringomyelia Research Consortium; patients < 21 years old with CM-I and syringomyelia treated from June 2011 to May 2016 were identified. The primary outcome was the need for OCF and/or VBD. After patients who required OCF and/or VBD were identified, 10 age- and sex-matched controls served as comparisons for each OCF/VBD patient. The C-C2SVA (defined as the position of a plumb line from the midpoint of the O-C1 joint relative to the posterior aspect of the C2-3 disc space), pBC2 (a line perpendicular to a line from the basion to the posteroinferior aspect of the C2 body), and clival-axial angle (CXA) were measured on sagittal MRI. The secondary outcome was the need for ≥ 2 CM-related operations. RESULTS Of the 206 patients identified, 20 underwent OCF/VBD and 14 underwent repeat posterior fossa decompression. A C-C2SVA ≥ 5 mm was 100% sensitive and 86% specific for requiring OCF/VBD, with a 12.6% misclassification rate, whereas CXA < 125° was 55% sensitive and 99% specific, and pBC2 ≥ 9 was 20% sensitive and 88% specific. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that there was a significantly shorter time to second decompression in children with C-C2SVA ≥ 5 mm (p = 0.0039). The mean C-C2SVA was greater (6.13 ± 1.28 vs 3.13 ± 1.95 mm, p < 0.0001), CXA was lower (126° ± 15.4° vs 145° ± 10.7°, p < 0.05), and pBC2 was similar (7.65 ± 1.79 vs 7.02 ± 1.26 mm, p = 0.31) among those who underwent OCF/VBD versus decompression only. The intraclass correlation coefficient for the continuous measurement of C-C2SVA was 0.52; the kappa value was 0.47 for the binary categorization of C-C2SVA ≥ 5 mm. CONCLUSIONS These results validated the C-C2SVA using a large, multicenter, external cohort with 100% sensitivity, 86% specificity, and a 12.6% misclassification rate. A C-C2SVA ≥ 5 mm is highly predictive of the need for OCF/VBD in patients with CM-I. The authors recommend that this measurement be considered among the tools to identify the "high-risk" CM-I phenotype.
Undergraduate sustainability education programs and national security

Abstract Sustainable development directly aligns with local, regional, national, and global security. In the last decade, much progress has taken place in graduate sustainability education and research. However, undergraduate sustainability education programs have not shown the same levels of achievement. Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver) is one of the pioneer universities to have established its Sustainable Systems Engineering Program at the undergraduate level. Since 2016, the Program has been revised and improved upon. This article details the relationship between undergraduate sustainability education and national security, and explores the undergraduate sustainability education practices at MSU Denver as a model. The authors emphasize the development of program educational objectives (PEO), curriculum design, and assessment. The recently developed course, “Leadership in Sustainable Design,” is discussed, illustrating the university’s introduction of general sustainability concepts to interdisciplinary undergraduate students.
Positive Definiteness, Matrix Factorization, and an Imperfect Analogy

The results of this section are purely algebraic, but they will prove to be of great significance in §§13–15 when we discuss linear matrix equations, reachability, and observability, and again in Part in when realization theory for time-invariant input-output systems is treated. The “imperfect analogy” to which the section title alludes is a rough parallel which we draw between the family of real (n × n) matrices and the family of complex numbers; the reader may judge independently whether this correspondence is a useful or interesting one.
Quadratic Optimization via Conjugate Directions and Projection Matrices

The idea behind the well known conjugate gradient procedure is to solve a series of one-dimensional optimization problems along direction vectors that are a function of both the current gradient vector and the previous search vector. The search vectors are sequentially generated allowing the optimization process to move along one direction at a time while making these vectors Q orthogonal, where Q is the nxn weighting matrix from the quadratic objective function. In this work, a method is presented in which the search directions are all initially fixed as the columns of the Q matrix. It is then shown that for this choice, the Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization process can be used to locate the extremum in n steps. It is also shown that the original search directions become conjugate directions after these n steps. The net result is a new and efficient conjugate direction method.
Experimental metaphysics2: The double standard in the quantum-information approach to the foundations of quantum theory

Abstract Among the alternatives of non-relativistic quantum mechanics (NRQM) there are those that give different predictions than quantum mechanics in yet-untested circumstances, while remaining compatible with current empirical findings. In order to test these predictions, one must isolate one's system from environmental induced decoherence, which, on the standard view of NRQM, is the dynamical mechanism that is responsible for the ‘apparent’ collapse in open quantum systems. But while recent advances in condensed-matter physics may lead in the near future to experimental setups that will allow one to test the two hypotheses, namely genuine collapse vs . decoherence, hence make progress toward a solution to the quantum measurement problem, those philosophers and physicists who are advocating an information-theoretic approach to the foundations of quantum mechanics are still unwilling to acknowledge the empirical character of the issue at stake. Here I argue that in doing so they are displaying an unwarranted double standard.
Chapter 6 The Genetics of Autoimmune Thyroid Diseases

Abstract Autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD), including Graves’ disease (GD) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) are complex diseases that arise due to interplay between environmental and genetic factors. In the past decade, several AITD susceptibility genes have been identified and characterized, including both immune-regulatory genes and thyroid-specific genes. Some of these susceptibility genes are specific to either GD or HT, while others confer susceptibility to thyroid autoimmunity in general. Recent studies began dissecting the mechanisms by which these new genes predispose to thyroid autoimmunity, and the emerging mechanisms focus on abnormalities of the immunological synapse. In this chapter, we will summarize the recent data on the genes predisposing to AITD and the emerging mechanisms by which they confer susceptibility to disease.
FATIGUE ANALYSIS OF STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS THROUGH MATH-MODEL SIMULATION

A cumulative-fatigue-damage procedure that considers notch effects, mean-stress relaxation, and cyclic hardening and softening is being used at TEREX to evaluate structural reliability. Necessary inputs for the evaluation are: (1) a load-time history of the response of the material to its operating environment, (2) a listing of material characteristics with regard to both monotonic and cyclic properties, (3) an experimental sample with similar section which can be failed under constant-amplitude loading so that a fatigue-concentration factor can be developed, and (4) the appropriate computer ‘soft ware’ needed to simulate the material during its loading environment so that a life prediction can be made.
Car Seats for Children With Mechanically Assisted Ventilation

Car safety seat use has increased because of child restraint legislation in all 50 states and educational efforts by medical professionals. Not all children, however, can fit into commercially available car seats, and some modification is necessary to accommodate these children with special needs.1 Safe transportation is a problem faced by physicians and parents with increasing frequency as more children with special problems are discharged to home: one such example is the child with mechanically assisted ventilation. We have recently determined that these children who weigh less than 18.2 kg (40lb) can be transported properly and safely in commercially available car seats while the ventilator system remains attached to the child and in operation.
The death of captain blifil

“And glad should we be could we inform the reader that both these bodies had been attended with equal success; for those who undertook the care of the lady [Mrs Blifil] succeeded so well that after the fit had continued a decent time she again revived, to their great satisfaction; but as to the captain, all experiments of bleeding, chafing, dropping, etc, proved ineffectual. Death, that inexorable judge, had passed sentence on him and refused to grant him a reprieve, though two doctors who arrived and were fee'd at one and the same instant, were his counsel. “These two doctors, whom to avoid any malicious applications we shall distinguish by the names of Dr Y and …
Calcium-Dependent Activation of TNF Family Gene Expression by Ca2+/Calmodulin Kinase Type IV/Gr and Calcineurin

CD40 ligand (L), FasL, and TNF-alpha are members of the TNF family of cytokines. All are expressed by T lymphocytes shortly after activation but have distinct effector functions. Transcription of these genes can be induced by stimulation of T cells by calcium ionophore alone and requires the calcineurin-dependent transcription factor NF of activated T cells. We have examined a second calcium-dependent signaling pathway, mediated by calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase IV (CaMKIV) in transcriptional activation of TNF family genes. In reporter gene assays using constructs driven by the promoters of human CD40L, FasL, or TNF-alpha along with vectors expressing constitutively active CaMKIV and calcineurin, we have demonstrated that each promoter is activated by calcineurin and CaMKIV in a synergistic fashion. Furthermore, specific inhibition of CaMKIV by chemical means and by a dominant negative mutant of CaMKIV impairs the ionomycin-induced activity of all three promoters as well as protein expression of CD40L and TNF-alpha. Our results indicate that activation of gene expression by calcineurin and CaMKIV is common to members of the TNF cytokine family.
The toric ℎ-vectors of partially ordered sets

First published in TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY, 352(10), published by the American Mathematical Society.
Effective small group learning: Guide Supplement 48.1 – Viewpoint

The AMEE Guide in Medical Education: Effective small group learning by Edmunds and Brown (2010) immediately begs the question “why use small group learning?” In medical education, the predominant d...
COMPLEXITY EFFECTS IN FORM DETECTION

Abstract This study examines the effect of pattern complexity on the detectability of dotted target patterns presented in dotted visual noise. The effects of complexity on performance in this detection task were shown to be substantial. Discrepancies between the psychophysical scores and the prediction of a previously described autocorrelation theory of form detection ( Uttal, 1975 ) point to specific deficiencies in the theory's sensitivity to particular classes of geometrical form.
Highly efficient optical coupling and transport phenomena in chains of dielectric microspheres

Using the generalized multiparticle Mie theory, we investigate optical coupling and transport through chains of dielectric microspheres. We identify two distinct coupling mechanisms of optical transport in terms of the coupling efficiency between neighboring microspheres, namely, evanescent coupling and nanojet coupling. We demonstrate that perfect whispering gallery mode propagation through a chain of evanescently coupled microspheres can be achieved. However, optical coupling and transport through a chain of nanojet-inducing microspheres is less efficient due to the radiative nature of photonic nanojets. Understanding these two optical coupling mechanisms is critical for selecting appropriate microspheres to build coupled resonator optical waveguides and other photon-manipulation devices for effective and low-loss guiding of photons.
Connecting With the Big Picture

This article concludes the special issue on identity and motivation by discussing the five preceding contributions. It identifies strengths and limitations in each article and places them within a larger context, indicating ways that the authors could broaden the scope of their inquiries by breaking free of existing limitations or adding additional concepts. Looking across articles, it emphasizes that identity and motivation share multiple and bidirectional relationships. It also argues that as identities grow and change, they provide important sources of motivation for curiosity and exploration (mostly in earlier stages) but also can limit or even foreclose potential exposures to other experiences (especially in later stages, if they become rigid). Finally, it contrasts Eastern and Western thinking about self and identity, arguing the need to synthesize these perspectives on the issues addressed in this special issue.
Beaver ponds create wetland habitat for birds in mountains of southeastern Wyoming

We studied the use of beaver ponds and associated wetlands by ducks and waterbirds on the Laramie Range, Albany County, Wyoming, during 1994. Our goal was to identify physical habital features of beaver ponds associated with use by migrating, breeding, and postbreeding ducks and other birds associated with aquatic habitats. Species richness of birds observed at beaver ponds was positively correlated with water surface area, area of shallow water, length of woody shoreline, and shoreline development (the ratio of shoreline length to the circumference of a circle of the same area as the water surface of the pond). Duck use (green-winged teal, mallard, and ring-necked duck) was positively correlated with water surface area, area of shallow water, and length of woody shoreline, but negatively correlated with the ratio of the area of submergent vegetation to water surface area. Use by riparian birds (red-winged blackbird and Brewer’s blackbird) was positively correlated with water surface area, area of shallow water, area of emergent cover, and length of woody shoreline.
Generalized two-qubit whole and half Hilbert-Schmidt separability probabilities

Compelling evidence–though yet no formal proof–has been adduced that the probability that a generic (standard) two-qubit state (ρ) is separable/disentangled is 833 (arXiv:1301.6617, arXiv:1109.2560, arXiv:0704.3723). Proceeding in related analytical frameworks, using a further determinantal 4F3-hypergeometric moment formula (Appendix A), we reach, via density-approximation (inverse) procedures, the conclusion that one-half (433) of this probability arises when the determinantal inequality |ρPT|>|ρ|, where PT denotes the partial transpose, is satisfied, and, the other half, when |ρ|>|ρPT|. These probabilities are taken with respect to the flat, Hilbert–Schmidt measure on the fifteen-dimensional convex set of 4×4 density matrices. We find fully parallel bisection/equipartition results for the previously adduced, as well, two-“re[al]bit” and two-“quater[nionic]bit” separability probabilities of 2964 and 26323, respectively. The new determinantal 4F3-hypergeometric moment formula is, then, adjusted (Appendices B and C) to the boundary case of minimally degenerate states (|ρ|=0), and its consistency manifested–also using density-approximation–with an important theorem of Szarek, Bengtsson and Życzkowski (arXiv:quant-ph/0509008). This theorem states that the Hilbert–Schmidt separability probabilities of generic minimally degenerate two-qubit states are (again) one-half those of the corresponding generic nondegenerate states.
Decolonizing paratexts: re-presenting Haitian literature in English translations

This article analyses the roles of paratexts in the translations of several Haitian novels as a basis for re-visioning the paratext in my own translation of Marie Vieux-Chauvet’s novel Les Rapaces (1986). I suggest that paratexts often play a colonizing role in relation to the texts they present through the generalized assumption that the purpose of paratexts is to facilitate access to a foreign language and culture. By examining the functioning of paratexts in several previous translations of Haitian literature, I reveal the colonizing effect of conventional paratexts, and begin to imagine a decolonized paratext for The Raptors. I propose that a more critical role for the paratext of a translation is to draw attention to the translated nature of the text, the resistance and opacity of its linguistic and cultural differences, and the process of negotiation, exchange, and travel on which the translation depends. This strategy is in line with a feminist critique of the limited repertoires for relating to difference offered by masculine epistemologies and promotes an activist feminist agenda through literary re-presentation.
Optimizing Adaptive Modulation in Wireless Networks via Multi-Period Network Utility Maximization

We present a crosslayer technique to find and characterize optimal control policies for wireless networks operating at different time scales at the upper layer and physical layer. The technique can also be directly applied to networks carrying traffic with different time dependencies such as data or video. Our approach combines network utility maximization and adaptive modulation over an infinite discrete time horizon using a class of performance measures we call time smoothed utility functions. We describe the properties of optimal physical layer power and link rate policies and characterize optimal upper layer policies, which determine when packets should be injected into the network. We also characterize the behavior of optimal policies as different system parameters are used.
Modeling the conformations and motions of isolated polymer chains in the narrow channels of their crystalline inclusion compounds with small-molecule, host clathrates

The narrow channels occupied by polymer chains in their crystalline inclusion compounds(IC) with small-molecule, host clathrates, such as urea and perhydrotriphenylene(PHTP), provide a unique, solid state environment. Single polymer chains are confined to occupy narrow cylindrical channels whose walls consist of a crystalline matrix of the small-molecule, host clathrate. Because the IC channels are well-separated, each included polymer chain is isolated from its neighbors, and is therefore free from cooperative, interpolymer interactions which often dominate and complicate the behavior of bulk polymers. We have modeled polymer chains included in their IC channels by restricting the conformations accessible to small chain fragments(9–20 backbone bonds) to those which fit into a cylinder whose diameter(5.5A) mimics the observed channel cross-section. After establishing the population of channel conformers, a test is performed to determine the possibility of interconverting between them without any portion of the polymer chain fragment leaving the channel during any step in the interconversion process. The results of our modeling are compared to observations made on a variety of polymer-IC's formed with either or both of the host clathrates, urea and PHTP. General agreement is found between the modeled conformations and mobilities of cylindrical polymer chain fragments and those observed directly from the crystalline polymer-IC's, principally by solid state NMR, DSC, and X-ray diffraction.
Squalene synthetase. I. Dissociation and reassociation of enzyme complex.

Abstract Squalene synthetase, purified to near homogeneity from baker's yeast, has been resolved into two components of different molecular weight. One of these catalyzes the conversion of farnesyl pyrophosphate to squalene and the other catalyzes the first partial reaction of squalene synthesis, namely the formation of presqualene pyrophosphate. Each of these components is converted in part to the other under appropriate conditions of incubation.
Transforming growth factor Β1 influences glycosylation of α1-protease inhibitor in human hepatoma cell lines

We have previously shown that changes in acute-phase protein glycosylation result from alterations occurring within hepatocytes as a result of regulation by cytokines, that the glycosylation patterns of proteins secreted by Hep 3B and Hep G2 cells respond differently to the crude mixtures of cytokines found in conditioned medium from LPS-stimulated monocytes, and that interleukin-6 (IL-6) causes increased concanavalin A (Con A) binding ofαl protease inhibitor in Hep 3B cells and decreased Con A binding of this protein in Hep G2 cells. In the present study we found that transforming growth factorΒl (TGF-Β), like IL-6, led to secretion of forms ofαl-protease inhibitor with increased Con A binding in Hep 3B cells, and that IL-6 and TGF-Β in combination were additive. In contrast, in Hep G2 cells, TGF-Β had an effect opposite to that produced by IL-6, leading to secretion of forms ofαl-protease inhibitor with increased Con A binding. When employed in combination with IL-6, TGF-Β abolished the effect of that cytokine. These studies indicate that TGF-Β influences glycosylation of al-protease inhibitor in two human hepatoma cell lines in a manner that can be differentiated from that of IL-6. The identification of TGF-Β as a second defined cytokine capable of influencing glycoprotein glycosylation and the demonstration that the effect of one cytokine can be modulated by another cytokine support the view that changes in glycosylation of plasma proteins are mediated by combinations of cytokines.
Hemoglobin-induced oxidative stress contributes to matrix metalloproteinase activation and blood-brain barrier dysfunction in vivo

Hemoglobin (Hb) released from extravasated erythrocytes is implicated in brain edema after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Hemoglobin is a major component of blood and a potent mediator of oxidative stress after ICH. Oxidative stress and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are associated with blood–brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction. This study was designed to elucidate whether Hb-induced oxidative stress contributes to MMP-9 activation and BBB dysfunction in vivo. An intracerebral injection of Hb into rat striata induced increased hydroethidine (HEt) signals in parallel with MMP-9 levels. In situ gelatinolytic activity colocalized with oxidized HEt signals in vessel walls, accompanied by immunoglobulin G leakage and a decrease in immunoactivity of endothelial barrier antigen, a marker of endothelial integrity. Administration of a nonselective MMP inhibitor prevented MMP-9 levels and albumin leakage in injured striata. Moreover, reduction in oxidative stress by copper/zinc-superoxide dismutase (SOD1) overexpression reduced oxidative stress, MMP-9 levels, albumin leakage, and subsequent apoptosis compared with wild-type littermates. We speculate that Hb-induced oxidative stress may contribute to early BBB dysfunction and subsequent apoptosis, partly through MMP activation, and that SOD1 overexpression may reduce Hb-induced oxidative stress, BBB dysfunction, and apoptotic cell death.
Lattice-dynamical model for alkali-metal—graphite intercalation compounds

The phonon dispersion curves for graphite intercalation compounds (GIC's) are calculated for the case of potassium, rubidium, and cesium intercalates. The model is based on the staging periodicity in these compounds in that it assumes that the symmetry of the graphite crystal is preserved upon intercalation. The effect of intercalation is, therefore, aken into account by a ${k}_{z}$-axis zone folding of the graphite dynamical matrix. The resulting phonon dispersion curves yield results in agreement with all the reported data on GIC's, derived from neutron scattering and specific-heat measurements, and first- and second-order Raman scattering experiments.
Risiken einer suboptimalen Arzneimittelversorgung aufgrund ökonomischer Zwänge

Zusammenfassung Risiken einer mangelhaften Versorgung mit Arzneimitteln betreffen Patienten, Arzte, Kostentrager und die Gesellschaft gleichermasen und existieren auf vielen Ebenen. Oft sind sie, auch aus juristischen Grunden, unvermeidbar. Am Beispiel des Plasmozytoms, des Eisenmangels und der feuchten Makuladegeneration wird aufgezeigt, dass eine optimale, jedoch nicht arzneimittelrechtlich zugelassene oder erstattungsfahige Arzneimittelversorgung nicht nur fur den Patienten besser, sondern oftmals auch deutlich preiswerter fur die GKV sein kann. Die bisherigen Bemuhungen des Gesetzgebers, der Kostenlawine bei Arzneimitteln Einhalt zu gebieten, sind ohne Erfolg geblieben. Gleichwohl wird von Patienten und Arzten verlangt, einen wesentlichen Teil der Arzneimittel und Leistungen selbst zu erbringen. Eine alles umfassende Losung des Problems existiert nicht. Gemeinsame Anstrengungen aller an der Gesundheitsversorgung Beteiligten sind notig, um Auswege zu finden und die Finanzierung der Arzneimittelversorgung weiterhin sicher zu stellen. Es muss auch ein Ziel sein, dass Patienten der Zugang zu notwendigen, oft lebensverlangernden Medikamenten nicht aufgrund zulassungsrechtlicher Bestimmungen verwehrt wird.
Boulder Beds in Tesnus and Dimple Formations (Mississippian-Pennsylvanian), Payne Hills, Marathon Region, Texas: ABSTRACT

End_Page 792------------------------------Boulders of sedimentary rock are present in shale units in the Tesnus and Dimple formations near the western margin of the Marathon uplift in the Payne Hills, a terrane underlain by imbricate thrust plates. Although, locally, boulders have been rolled along the thrusts as "ball bearings," a sedimentary origin as submarine-slope deposits for the beds is inferred because (1) most boulders are unlike rocks involved in thrusting, (2) boulders are not brecciated, and (3) many boulders do not occur along thrust faults. Boulders range from 1 to 24 ft long and are unevenly distributed along strike. Large boulders lie with their long dimension in the plane of bedding of the host rock. The boulder-bearing unit in the Tesnus is from 5 to 50 ft above the base of the formation; that in the Dimple is about 100 ft above its base. Common boulders are light-colored dolosparite and dolomicrite, mottled, dark-green chert, and chert sharpstone conglomerate; a few boulders are limestone, sandstone, novaculite, and porphyry (Dimple Formation only). The chert resembles, but is not identical with, beds in the Caballos Novaculite, although the other rocks are unlike indigenous Paleozoic strata in the uplift. Early Ordovician, Silurian(?), and Middle Devonian conodonts occur in the carbonate boulders. The boulders were derived from a positive, tectonic element northwest of the basin that was active intermittently throughout Paleozoic time. The lack of fine debris in the boulder beds suggests that the boulders rolled or slid into place and outdistanced finer detritus. End_of_Article - Last_Page 793------------