cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sensitivity Analysis and Extensions of Testing the Causal Direction of Dependence: A Rejoinder to Thoemmes (2019)

A commentary by Thoemmes on Wiedermann and Sebastian’s introductory article on Direction Dependence Analysis (DDA) is responded to in the interest of elaborating and extending direction dependence ...
Student Teaching and Urban Educator Aptness: The Significance of Similar Sociocultural Scenarios:

Drawing from the experiences and reflections of new urban educators, this study examines how teachers undergo their first year of teaching on account of their student teaching. Using Situated Learn...
Beware the genetic sting

Users of genetic testing services need to think carefully about who might gain access to their most intimate data.
“Ten and Under Tennis” for ALL Ages!

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) began an initiative that encouraged professionals to teach tennis using a modified method to students ten years of age and under. Termed “Ten and Under T...
What is the ‘cybernetic’ in the ‘history of cybernetics’? A French case, 1968 to the present:

This article examines the history of cybernetics in France, and the history of French cybernetics in the context of the emergent field of the history of cybernetics. Drawing upon an unfamiliar grou...
Weakly labeled data augmentation for deep learning: A study on COVID-19 detection in chest X-rays

The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a pandemic resulting in over 2.7 million infected individuals and over 190,000 deaths and growing. Assertions in the literature suggest that respiratory disorders due to COVID-19 commonly present with pneumonia-like symptoms which are radiologically confirmed as opacities. Radiology serves as an adjunct to the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test for confirmation and evaluating disease progression. While computed tomography (CT) imaging is more specific than chest X-rays (CXR), its use is limited due to cross-contamination concerns. CXR imaging is commonly used in high-demand situations, placing a significant burden on radiology services. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) has been suggested to alleviate this burden. However, there is a dearth of sufficient training data for developing image-based AI tools. We propose increasing training data for recognizing COVID-19 pneumonia opacities using weakly labeled data augmentation. This follows from a hypothesis that the COVID-19 manifestation would be similar to that caused by other viral pathogens affecting the lungs. We expand the training data distribution for supervised learning through the use of weakly labeled CXR images, automatically pooled from publicly available pneumonia datasets, to classify them into those with bacterial or viral pneumonia opacities. Next, we use these selected images in a stage-wise, strategic approach to train convolutional neural network-based algorithms and compare against those trained with non-augmented data. Weakly labeled data augmentation expands the learned feature space in an attempt to encompass variability in unseen test distributions, enhance inter-class discrimination, and reduce the generalization error. Empirical evaluations demonstrate that simple weakly labeled data augmentation (Acc: 0.5555 and Acc: 0.6536) is better than baseline non-augmented training (Acc: 0.2885 and Acc: 0.5028) in identifying COVID-19 manifestations as viral pneumonia. Interestingly, adding COVID-19 CXRs to simple weakly labeled augmented training data significantly improves the performance (Acc: 0.7095 and Acc: 0.8889), suggesting that COVID-19, though viral in origin, creates a uniquely different presentation in CXRs compared with other viral pneumonia manifestations.
Exploring Integrated Photonics with Symmetry and Topology

Quantum mechanics and photonics share mathematical equivalence. Exploring integrated photonics with symmetry and topology not only deepens fundamental understanding in quantum physics but also endows novel photonic functionality for optical communication and information technology.
Can the negative pressures found in obstructive sleep apnea and Eustachian tube dysfunction be related

Abstract Objective The association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) is well known. When both exist in a single pediatric patient, one of the expected culprits is adenoid enlargement. We hypothesize, in contrast, that the negative pharyngeal pressure found in OSA may be transmitted to the middle ear as negative middle ear pressure (MEP), which subsequently results in pathology. The objective of this study was to determine whether the degree of OSA and MEP are associated while using MEP as a quantifiable measurement of ETD. Study design Retrospective chart review. Setting Tertiary academic center (Jan 2000–Jan 2018). Subjects and methods The relationship between apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and MEP was examined. A non-anatomic model was utilized to support causality. Results Thirty-four pediatric patients and twenty-three adult patients were included in the analysis. REM AHI showed a moderate negative correlation with MEP in children (r = -0.265), and a weak positive correlation with MEP in adults (r = 0.171). Children with an AHI in the severe OSA category had a more negative mean MEP than those in the mild category (p = 0.36). Adults with an AHI in the severe OSA category had a more positive mean MEP than those in the mild category (p = 0.11). Conclusion In children, increasing severity of OSA is associated with a negative MEP, suggesting that negative pressure associated with OSA may be transmitted to the middle ear. In adults, increasing severity of OSA is associated with a more positive MEP.
A Foucault Pendulum Pilgrimage in Paris

Most physics teachers have observed the majestic swings of a monumental pendulum at a science museum and have watched long enough to see the plane of oscillation slowly changing direction as Earth turns. The purpose of this article is to describe visits to Paris sites related to Jean Bernard Leon Foucault (1819-1868), with a special focus on the locations where he first developed and then demonstrated the apparatus now known as the Foucault pendulum.
A value function-based approach for robust surgery planning

Abstract We present a value function-based formulation for solving a two-stage robust optimization model for surgery-to-OR allocation planning where only upper and lower bounds on surgery duration are known. We solve this formulation using a constraint and column generation algorithm and interpret it as an iterative bi-level interdiction game. We derive valid inequalities based in this interpretation and compare the computational performance of this algorithm with the only other exact solution approach in the literature using the data from an academic medical center. The value function-based formulation yields better or similar quality solutions on difficult problem instances with low or intermediate number of surgeries.
In Vivo Imaging of Newt Lens Regeneration: Novel Insights Into the Regeneration Process.

Purpose To establish optical coherence tomography (OCT) as an in vivo imaging modality for investigating the process of newt lens regeneration. Methods Spectral-domain OCT was employed for in vivo imaging of the newt lens regeneration process. A total of 37 newts were lentectomized and followed by OCT imaging over the course of 60 to 80 days. Histological images were obtained at several time points to compare with the corresponding OCT images. Volume measurements were also acquired. Results OCT can identify the key features observed in corresponding histological images based on the scattering differences from various eye tissues, such as the cornea, intact and regenerated lens, and the iris. Lens volume measurements from three-dimensional OCT images showed that the regenerating lens size increased linearly until 60 days post-lentectomy. Conclusions Using OCT imaging, we were able to track the entire process of newt lens regeneration in vivo for the first time. Three-dimensional OCT images allowed us to volumetrically quantify and visualize the dynamic spatial relationships between tissues during the regeneration process. Our results establish OCT as an in vivo imaging modality to track/analyze the entire lens regeneration process from the same animal. Translational relevance Lens regeneration in newts represents a unique example of vertebrate tissue plasticity. Investigating the cellular and morphological events that govern this extraordinary process in vivo will advance our understanding and shed light on developing new therapies to treat blinding disorders in higher vertebrates.
From Berlin to Baltimore: German Historicism and the American Income Tax, 1877-1913

The late nineteenth-century notion of moving American public finance toward more direct and graduated forms of taxation was an idea that was embedded in and born out of a larger transatlantic web of intellectual exchange. At the center of this international transfer was a group of American theorists and activists who translated the ideas of their German mentors about the importance of context, institutions, and evolution into U.S. tax policy. This paper seeks to illuminate the links between turn-of-the century German social theories and the development of U.S. tax policy. More specifically, this paper explores how theories of German historicism affected the creation of the American income tax. The German emphasis on institutions, evolution, and context had a profound impact on the group of American political economists who mobilized these ideas to shape the trajectory of American tax policy. By exploring this transatlantic link, this paper clarifies the intellectual beginnings of one of the most significant shifts in American tax theory.This paper, moreover, examines how a group of progressive political economists self-consciously applied the lessons of German historicism to the American campaigns for tax reform. These reformers knew, or soon learned, that they could not simply transplant German tax ideas or policies onto American soil. Instead, they deployed a thoroughgoing historicism in a self-reflexive and critical manner to justify the need for graduated income taxes in turn-of-the-century America. In so doing, these theorists and reformers helped inject a sense of redistributional reasoning into the prevailing American fiscal order. Though they did not go as far as some of their German mentors in advancing radically redistributive taxes, these thinkers brought a vigorous and historically informed defense of social justice and equity to an otherwise anemic American dialogue about taxation.This paper is a chapter in a recently published collection of essays, entitled Taxation, State, and Civil Society in Germany and the United States from the 18th to the 20th Century (eds. Alexander Nutzenadel and Christoph Strupp). The essays focus on a transatlantic comparison of German and U.S. fiscal systems and national tax traditions. They were first presented at an international conference on historical tax research sponsored by the German Historical Institute in Washington, D.C.
mRNA Stability and the Control of Gene Expression

Messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) stability is a principal determinant of gene expression; intrinsic stabilities of mammalian mRNAs can differ by more than 100-fold, and the stability of an mRNA species can be altered markedly by developmental, cell cycle and environmental stimuli. The determinants of mRNA stability and the pathways by which they function are diverse and are represented by a spectrum of informative model systems. Keywords: mRNA; stability; gene expression; posttranscriptional control; translation
Development of Technology Competencies for Public Services’ Staff Has Limited External Validity

A Review of: Wong, G. K. W. (2010). Information commons help desk transactions study. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 36(3), 235-241. Objective - To develop an understanding of the types of technology questions asked at an information commons help desk for the purposes of staffing the desk and training. Specifically, the study looked to answer the following questions: 1. What kind of assistance do users seek from the help desk? 2. How complex is it to handle the technology questions? 3. What are the key competencies desirable of the help desk staff? Design - Qualitative analysis of transactions completed at an information commons help desk. Setting - A medium sized academic library located in Hong Kong. Data - 1,636 transactions completed at an information commons help desk between January 2007 and May 2009. Methods - From the opening in 2006, the staff of the information commons help desk recorded all transactions electronically using a modified version of the open source software LibStats. The author examined the transactions for roughly the second and third weeks of each month from January 2007 to May 2009 in an effort to determine the types of questions asked and their complexity. Main Results - In response to question one, 86.3% of questions asked at the help desk concerned technology; the majority of those questions (76.5%) were about printing, wireless connection, and various software operation. For question two, 82% of technology questions were determined to be of the lowest tier (Tier 1) of complexity, one-third of the questions required only “direct answers,” and 80% of questions could be answered consistently via the creation of a “knowledge base of answers for these foreseeable questions.” For question three, a list of fourteen competencies for help desk staff were created. Conclusion - With the low complexity of the technology questions asked, the creation of a knowledge base of common questions and answers, and proper training of staff based on the competencies identified in the study, an information commons could be effective with one integrated desk staffed by a librarian and paraprofessional staff member.
LASIK Anwendungen mit Excimerlasern in der Medizin

Der Einsatz von Excimerlasern in der Ophthalmologie in LASIK (Laser Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis) Anwendungen ist eine sehr erfolgreiche Therapie und ein Wachstumsmarkt in der Lasermedizin. Coherent ist der fuhrende Hersteller von Excimerlasern fur weltweite OEM Kunden, die Geratelosungen fur Arzte und Kliniken anbieten.
Using animal models to test a neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia

A series of studies has shown that neonatal excitotoxic disconnection of the rat ventral hippocampus may serve as a heuristic model of schizophrenia. The model mimics a spectrum of neurobiologic and behavioural features of schizophrenia. It produces functional pathology in critical brain regions implicated in schizophrenia and connected with the hippocampal formation, namely, the striatum, nucleus accumbens and the prefrontal cortex. These brain regions are also targeted by antipsychotic drugs. Neonatal insult leads in young adulthood to the emergence of abnormalities in a number of dopamine-related behaviours. It also models some of the negative aspects of schizophrenia, such as social impairments and working memory deficits. Moreover, our data show that even transient inactivation of the ventral hippocampus during a critical period of development that produces subtle anatomical changes in the hippocampus may be sufficient to trigger behavioural changes similar to those observed in animals with the permanent excitotoxic lesion. The results of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation studies show that this transient disconnection in the CA1 and CA2 area of the hippocampus may have long-lasting consequences for neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus. Our data suggest that neonatal disconnection of the ventral hippocampus alters development and plasticity of prefrontal cortical circuitry and produces a constellation of behavioural and cellular changes that mimic many aspects of schizophrenia. The neonatal hippocampal disconnection model represents a potential new model of schizophrenia without a gross anatomical lesion.
An ab initio theoretical study of the stereoisomers of tetrahydrocannabinols.

An extensive theoretical study of the stereoisomers of tetrahydrocannabinols has been performed at the ab initio HF/6-31G* and B3LYP/6-31G* levels. Effects of solvation were calculated with the Onsager model (with full geometry optimization), SCRF with Tomasi's PCM, and isodensity polarization continuum models. Single-point MP2//HF/6-31G* calculations were carried out. Frequency calculations for all the isomers at the HF/6-31G* level and for two natural isomers Δ1-THC-RR and Δ6-THC-RR at the B3LYP/6-31G* level were performed. Our results support the findings of the previous AM1 studies that the orientation of the carbocyclic ring and its C1 substituent with respect to the phenyl group hydroxyl oxygen play the major role in the activity. The calculated values of the LUMO energy (lowest unoccupied molecular orbital) and the hardness of the stereoisomers show that for the trans isomers it is easier to remove one electron from its HOMO (highest occupied molecular orbital) to the LUMO and easier to accept an electron from the receptor binding site than for the cis isomers. Combining geometric features (the orientation of the carbocyclic ring and its C1 substituent with respect to the phenyl group hydroxyl oxygen) with electronic features (LUMO and hardness), we explain the activity differences among the stereoisomers.
Latin Americans, Health of

Several factors that have historically affected health in Latin America continue to challenge the population. These include both acute and chronic factors, but also the need for improved public health surveillance systems and infrastructure. While recent economic growth has promoted gains in health similar to other developed nations, particular health challenges remain in Latin America. Keywords: cross-cultural; health; Latino/a studies
Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment: Hydrogeologic Perspective and Example from Salinas Valley, California

Author(s): Fogg, GE; LaBolle, EM; Weissmann, GS | Abstract: Vulnerability of groundwater to contamination has typically been addressed by analysis or inference of near-surface hydrologic processes. Yet, in many basins like the Salinas Valley, California, shallow groundwater quality has already been degraded over large areas by nitrates, pesticides, salinity from irrigation, or other contaminants. The ultimate impact of this contamination on deeper groundwater quality during the decades, centuries or millennia to come is a highly relevant issue. We demonstrate an approach to groundwater vulnerability assessment that emphasizes important geologic features in a stochastic-geostatistical framework and incorporates information on both shallow and deep groundwater flow and contaminant transport in the context of a circulating groundwater system. The approach complements more common, shallow investigative approaches, which emphasize source inventory, soil characteristics, and vadose-zone flow and transport. Results from an assessment of groundwater vulnerability to nitrate contamination in the Salinas Valley agree with observed regional patterns in groundwater nitrate concentrations.
Conflict in the Caucasus

Given the increased use of terrorist tactics in ethnic conflict and separatist movements over the past decade, an understanding of the causes of both ethnic conflict and separatism have become vital to the protection of innocent lives. This study focuses on ten republics in the Caucasus region, since it is a highly conflictual region in a small area, with both a strong Muslim and Orthodox Christian presence. While some literature suggests that a high Muslim population or the presence of a jihadist movement causes extremely violent forms of separatism, other research indicates that in the Caucasus region, past grievances, a high percentage of the titular minority group, and external support contribute much more to both separatist movements and ethnic conflict. This article is available in Res Publica Journal of Undergraduate Research: http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/respublica/vol15/iss1/ 10
A Pediatrician’s Practical Guide to Diagnosing and Treating Hereditary Spherocytosis in Neonates

Newborn infants who have hereditary spherocytosis (HS) can develop anemia and hyperbilirubinemia. Bilirubin-induced neurologic dysfunction is less likely in these neonates if the diagnosis of HS is recognized and appropriate treatment provided. Among neonates listed in the USA Kernicterus Registry, HS was the third most common underlying hemolytic condition after glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency and ABO hemolytic disease. HS is the leading cause of direct antiglobulin test (direct Coombs) negative hemolytic anemia requiring erythrocyte transfusion in the first months of life. We anticipate that as physicians become more familiar with diagnosing HS in the newborn period, fewer neonates with HS will develop hazardous hyperbilirubinemia or present to emergency departments with unanticipated symptomatic anemia. We predict that early suspicion, prompt diagnosis and treatment, and anticipatory guidance will prevent adverse outcomes in neonates with HS. The purpose of this article was to review the neonatal presentation of HS and to provide practical and up-to-date means of diagnosing and treating HS in neonates.
Polymer micro-ring modulator with 1 THz FSR

Polymer microring modulators with FSR larger than 1 THz, modulation bandwidth of 15 GHz and the fall with half maximum voltage of 20 V are demonstrated at 1300 nm. Multi-wavelength modulation with a total bandwidth of 400 Gb/s is practical.
Stochastic control of linear systems with structural changes with applications to economic systems

A very important class of problems deals with the control of systems whose structure can undergo changes. The simplest class of changes are the ones that affect only the system parameters and not the rest of the basic structure of the system like order. In this paper we examine the class of linear, discrete time, multiple-input multiple-output systems, with additive system disturbances and exact output measurements. This class of models is also appropriate for describing some economic processes. The assumption will be that the system parameters can change according to a known low. The objective is to find the sequence of controls that will minimize a known cost of the output and the control sequence. We have assumed a quadratic cost. If the noise statistics and the initial conditions are assumed known, then the problem is an adaptive control one. We use dynamic programming to solve the resulting dual adaptive structure. We use an approximation to the optimal cost-to-go that renders the solution quite tractable. The approximation results in an actively adaptive law because it takes into account future measurements. The computational overhead required of this approximation is not too large, a property that renders the control law quite feasible. Some thought is given to what happens when some of the noise statistics are assumed not known with certainty, a case that is most appropriate in models of econcmic processes.
Form-specific colour after effects in scotopic illumination.

THE retina of the human eye contains rod and cone receptors, and in very dim light the rods alone function (scotopic illumination) so that objects appear colourless. At higher light levels, cones also function (photopic illumination) and colours are seen.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and renal disease--still unsettled.

The evidence of an association between nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and renal disease has acquired an all-too-familiar and frustrating pattern—a plausible biologic mechanism and ma...
ETIOLOGY AND TREATMENT OF ACQUIRED COAGULOPATHIES IN THE CRITICALLY ILL ADULT AND CHILD

Coagulation and bleeding abnormalities represent one of the major problems commonly encountered in critically ill patients irrespective of age. Although most of these patients have no intrinsic abnormalities of hemostasis, either their underlying disease or the therapy of the disease may produce clinically significant bleeding problems. The intensive care physician must be able to recognize these abnormalities quickly and address them before clinically significant problems arise. Failure to do so may result in added costs and a significant increase in morbidity in the acutely ill patient. Coagulation disorders can be divided into several different categories as follows 31,46 : •Consumptive coagulopathies disseminated intravascular coagulation (acute versus chronic) primary fibrin(ogen)olysis •Vitamin K–related coagulopathies liver disease vitamin K deficiency •Iatrogenic coagulopathies massive transfusion syndrome anticoagulant overdose heparin warfarin •Platelet abnormalities quantitative mechanical destruction thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, hemolytic-uremic syndrome drug-induced immune mediated ITP drug-induced qualitative uremia drug-induced
Behavior modification of cheating in an elementary school student: A brief note

Cheating behavior of at least five-years duration in a sixth grade student was successfully terminated by reinforcement of accurate self-evaluation. Following six weeks of treatment all teacher and fellow student reports of cheating ceased. Follow-up for 14 weeks indicated no further cheating.
Lactobionic and gluconic acid complexes of FeII and FeIII; control of oxidation pathways by an organ transplantation preservant

Abstract Lactobionic acid, [4-β-(galactosido)-D-gluconic acid] = LBA, is the major component of the Wisconsin organ transplantation preservant fluid and may suppress oxygen radical-induced tissue damage upon reperfusion by the control of Fe II autoxidation. Fe II and Fe III complexes of LBA and the related gluconic acid (GLC) have been studied herein by titrimetric, infrared, and electrochemical methods (CV; DPP). Fe II (GLC) forms quickly at pH 7, but Fe II (LBA) reacts in two steps, the second requiring 4 hr. The initial complex lacks coordination of the LBA carboxylate (C-1) and is bound by the “2,3,5” hydroxyl groups. The slow rearrangement forms a “1,2,3,6” chelate which Fe II (LBA) shares in common with the donor set of the Fe III (LBA) complex. Titration data shows the removal of three protons from LBA through pH 5 and an additional proton from pH 6 to 9 which is indicative of the [Fe III (LBA)(OH)(H 2 O)] − formulation with LBA donating at the “1,2,3,6” positions. The more stable, second form of Fe II (LBA) has been investigated in its oxidation mechanisms with H 2 O 2 and O 2 using selected trapping agents for HO · and ferryl intermediates. Eighty-six percent of the oxidation events of Fe II (LBA)/H 2 O 2 occurs in steps involving formation and reduction of freely diffusible HO ·. These pathways are altered by the known HO · traps t-butanol, dmso, ethanol, and methanol in the manner predictable for β-oxidizing radicals (from t-butanol or dmso) and α-reducing radicals (from ethanol and methanol). Fourteen percent of the Fe II (LBA)/H 2 O 2 reaction occurs via Fe IV O intermediates not trapped by t-butanol or dmso, but intercepted by primary and secondary alcohols. The HO · generating pathways are responsible for a competitive LBA ligand oxidation at the C-2 position via HO ·, formed from Fe II (LBA) and H 2 O 2 within the original reaction cage. Competitive ligand oxidation at C-2 is absent for the Fe II (LBA)/O 2 autoxidation, indicative of a different redox mechanism. The Fe II (LBA)/O 2 reaction rate is first-order in each component and is insensitive to the presence of t-butanol as an HO · trap. These observations support a ferryl intermediate in the autoxidation pathway and the absence of HO · or free H 2 O 2 during autoxidation. Although chelation of Fe II by hard ligand donors such as edta 4− , Cl − , or HPO 4 2− accelerate the rate of autoxidation of Fe II , chelation of carboxylate, alkoxy, and hydroxyl donors of LBA does not accelerate autoxidation. The implications of these findings, and the absence of an inner-sphere coordination role of the 4-β-(galactosido) functionality toward the action of LBA in organ preservant fluids, are discussed.
Consistent behavior development: is a personal-rule or a deliberation-based strategy more effective?

ABSTRACT The development of consistent health behaviors is important for chronic illness prevention and management. The current study experimentally compared two strategies—a personal-rule and a deliberation strategy—designed to help participants consistently perform their intended behaviors over a 7-week period in a real-world setting. Although the personal-rule strategy had theoretical support from behavioral economics and empirical support from both animal and human lab experiments, the deliberation strategy group was significantly more successful than the personal-rule strategy group, both initially (time to first violation, p < .01, Cohen's d = .51) and over the entire 7-week period (overall success, p < .05, Cohen's d = .18). These effects were significant even after controlling for known predictors of behavioral success, including individual-difference variables, person-behavior factors, and resolution-related factors.
The inverted pendulum and biped stability

Abstract Locomotion in humans, robots, and manipulators consists of periodic motion. Three problems normally associated with periodic motion are generation, stabilization, and trajectory transition. These problems are analyzed and control implementations are provided for the inverted pendulum as the simplest model of a biped. Results of computer simulations are presented.
HEMOS DERROTADO EL DIABLO! CHÁVEZ SUPPORTERS, ANTI-NEOLIBERALISM, AND TWENTY-FIRST-CENTURY SOCIALISM

This article argues that the Venezuelan refusal of Washington's neoliberal economic development project is best analyzed in the context of the anti-imperialist Bolivarian Revolution and anti-neoliberal development of twenty-first-century socialism. These projects are more than just critiques of capitalism; they are real policies and lived experiences in the transformation of local, national, and hemispheric power relationships. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted periodically between 2003 and 2007, I move between macro-policy and on-the-ground experiences to discuss post-capitalist institutions simultaneously with the lived experiences of Chavez supporters, who are the strength of the counter-hegemonic movement. I conclude by discussing the implications of the Venezuelan case for conceptualizing democracy.
Royalties or Research Funds

The University of California's recently reported maneuvering to deny to faculty the 50% of royalties from corporations due them according to university policy on licensing fees for inventions is deeply disturbing. (Jocelyn Kaiser, “Inventors' court victory worries universities,” ScienceScope, 19 Dec., [p. 2045][1]). Understandably, university administrators and their legal staff wish to maximize the amount of discretionary funds available to them from all sources and may well take extraordinary steps to do so. But to justify such attempts on the grounds that “[t]he university has to be able to … assure the corporate sponsor that the money will go for research and not royalties,” as stated by an attorney for the University of California, is the height of hypocrisy. Such “research funds” are managed by university administrators who have broad discreionary powers regarding disbursement. By using these funds for certain types of designated research, they may well be able to free up other funds already targeted for such purposes and divert them to other uses. But in so doing, the university may not be fulfilling its obligations to its own faculty inherent in its policies. If corporate sponsors do not wish to have royalties paid to the inventors of the technology they wish to license, the university can advise them to seek an alternative technology elsewhere from a source that does not recognize the rights of inventors. [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.278.5346.2045c
Letter to the editor: Is there really no benefit of vertebroplasty for osteoporotic vertebral fractures? A meta-analysis.

To the Editor We read with interest the article by Shi et al. [9] published in your journal that addresses the controversial topic of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) using meta-analysis of selected literature. The authors’ conclusion [9] appears to contradict Recommendation 8 of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) “Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) on the Treatment of Symptomatic Osteoporotic Spinal Compression Fractures” [2]. We would like to address the differences between their analysis and that done by the AAOS CPG Workgroup. Although the meta-analysis process was similar in both reviews, some methodologic aspects differ. AAOS established a priori content based inclusion and exclusion criteria for study selection [2]. It is unclear how Shi et al. determined which articles to include. The AAOS Workgroup excluded three studies that they included [1, 4, 8] for poor study design description and for not being the best available evidence. A study is not the best available evidence if there are at least two studies of higher quality that measure the same outcomes; high quality studies are unlikely to be overturned by future evidence. Three studies in the current review [5, 7, 11] were published after the AAOS CPG was completed, but would not have changed our recommendation. Only three studies were mutually included [3, 6, 10]. Both reviews show no difference between sham treatments and PVP [2, 9]. There is disagreement in outcomes between nonoperative therapy and PVP, a comparison not made in randomized controlled studies because of inherent bias. The AAOS considered the magnitude of treatment effects by using statistical significance in the context of minimal clinically important improvements (MCII). The MCII is the smallest change that is important to patients; it controls for statistically significant treatment effects that are too small to matter. Shi et al. appear to incorporate only statistics. They rely heavily on the results of PVP that measure subjective outcomes and, in their conclusion, diminish the validity of comparing PVP with nonoperative treatment [9]. The meta-analysis by Shi et al. offers a different conclusion on the benefits of PVP than does the AAOS guideline. The methodology used by the AAOS is substantially more rigorous and transparent. Additional studies used in the Shi et al. analysis either do not meet our inclusion criteria standards or their weakened quality would exclude them in the AAOS analysis. We believe the AAOS’s use of MCII is preferred over the use of straight statistical comparisons used by Shi et al. PVP versus sham surgery is the gold standard of comparisons, and these results are not contradicted. It is understandable that physicians would want to validate a procedure that they believe works. For this to occur, high-quality studies using appropriate outcome measures will have to show a difference greater than the MCII.
Problem of Combining Interaction Symmetries and Relativistic Invariance

It is proved that the symmetry-interaction generators do not commute with either theLorentz translation generators or the homogeneous Lorentz generators. (M.J.T.)
An open trial of low dose buprenorphine in treating methadone withdrawal

Abstract Buprenorphine (BPN) is a prescription analgesic with mixed opioid agonist and antagonist properties. This pilot study conducted detailed case studies with 15 methadone dependent patients. The study sought to determine whether repeated low doses (0.15 to 0.3 mg) of sublingual BPN would relieve opioid withdrawal symptoms. Subjects developed mild to moderate withdrawal symptoms within 26 to 31 hours of methadone discontinuation. Once in withdrawal, the subjects received 0.15 mg of BPN sublingually. A second dose of 0.15 mg was administered in an hour, and a 0.30 mg dose in 2 hours, if the subject obtained no relief of withdrawal symptoms. In 6 subjects a low dose of 0.15 to 0.30 mg sublingual BPN resulted in the disappearance of subjective and objective withdrawal symptoms within 10 minutes to 2.5 hours. Four others had brief, partial relief of symptoms. Five subjects failed to experience any relief of withdrawal symptoms after a total of 0.6 mg BPN administered over 3 hours. One nonresponder suffered what appeared to be a severe precipated withdrawal reaction similar to that which can be produced in addicts by a naloxone challenge. The 4 Caucasian responders required 1 to 2 hours to respond to BPN, whereas the 2 African-American responders required only 10 to 20 minutes. Low (analgesic) doses of BPN were sufficient to treat all methadone withdrawal symptoms in 6 of 15 subjects. There may be ethnic differences in response to BPN. Low dose BPN may play a role in carefully monitored heroin detoxification treatment.
Ethanol and current thresholds for brain self-stimulation in the lateral hypothalamus of the rat.

Abstract Two groups of animals were implanted with stimulating electrodes in the lateral hypothalamus for intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS). Following surgery these animals were trained in the auto-titration, brain self-stimulation procedure which measured both the rate of responding and the reinforcement threshold for electrical stimulation. When behavior was stable, one group was given saline or ethanol (0.1–1.7 g/kg) administered intraperitoneally (IP) either 15 or 60 min before testing. The other group was given saline or ethanol (1.0–4.5 g/kg) administered intragastrically (IG) 15 or 60 min before testing. With IP administration, there was a graded decrease in lever-pressing at 15 min but the effect was less obvious at 60 min. There were no changes in threshold except at the highest dose when behavior was disrupted. With IG administration, a reduction in the rate of responding occurred at 15 min only. No changes in thresholds were observed at any dose level or injection-test interval. Thus, administration of ethanol either by the IP or IG route did not affect the reinforcement thresholds for ICSS in the lateral hypothalamus, and these results contrasted with those of other drugs of abuse such as amphetamine or morphine.
Identifying and quantifying transported vs. local sources of New York City PM2.5 fine particulate matter air pollution

Abstract New York City (NYC) is presently in violation of the nation's PM 2.5 annual mass standard, and will have to take actions to control the sources contributing to these violations. This paper seeks to differentiate the impact of long-range transported aerosols on the air quality of downtown NYC, so that the roles of local sources can more clearly be evaluated. Past source apportionment studies have considered single sites individually in their source apportionment analyses to identify and determine sources affecting that site, often finding secondary sulfates to be an important contributor, but not being able to quantify the portion that is transported vs. local. In this study, a rural site located in Sterling Forest, NY, which is near to the NYC area, but unaffected by local NYC sources, is instead used as a reference to separate the portion of the aerosol that is transported to our Manhattan, NYC site before conducting the source apportionment analysis. Sterling Forest is confirmed as a background site via elemental comparisons with NYC during regional transport episodes of Asian and Sahara sandstorm dusts, as well as by comparisons with a second background site in Chester, NJ. Two different approaches that incorporate Sterling Forest background data into the NYC source apportionment analysis are then applied to quantify local vs. transported aerosols. Six source categories are identified for NYC: regional transported sulfate, trans-continental desert dust, traffic, residual oil, “local” dust and World Trade Center fires pollution. Of these, the transported sulfates and trans-continental desert dust accounted for nearly half of the total PM 2.5 mass in Manhattan during 2001, with more than half coming from these transported sources during the summer months. More than 90% of the Manhattan elemental carbon was found to be of local origins. Conversely, roughly 90% of the NYC sulfate mass was identified as transported into the city. Our results indicate that transported pollution has a major role in NYC's fine PM pollution. Reliably meeting the ambient PM 2.5 air quality standards in New York will require that upwind sources, outside of the city, will also need to be controlled.
Proliferative potential of vascular components in human glioblastoma multiforme

Sixteen patients with glioblastoma multiforme received a 1-h intravenous infusion of 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), 150–200 mg/m2 at the start of surgery, to label S-phase cells in tumor tissue. Labeled cells of vascular components and of tumor parenchyma were detected in excised tumor specimens by indirect immunoperoxidase staining using anti-BrdU monoclonal antibodies followed by periodic acid-Schiff staining. The BrdU labeling index (LI, defined as the percentage of labeled cells in relation to the total number of cells scored) was calculated separately for vascular components and tumor parenchyma in each specimen. The BrdU LI of vascular components of glioblastoma multiforme was remarkably higher than that of normal brain (1.1%–8.7% vs.<0.05%). The mean BrdU LIs of vascular components and tumor cells in eight primary glioblastomas were 4.5±0.8% (mean±SE) and 9.9±1.1%, respectively, while the corresponding BrdU LIs in eight recurrent tumors were 2.7±0.5% and 9.3±0.7%. The differences in the BrdU LIs of primary and recurrent tumors were not statistically significant, but the BrdU LI of vascular components was consistently much lower than that of tumor cells. BrdU labeling of vascular components was inconsistent and occurred mostly in glomerular-shaped vessels, but only about 20% of them contained labeled cells. These results suggest that unusual vascular proliferation, such as the formation of glomerular-shaped vessels and endothelial or adventitial proliferation, in glioblastoma multiforme may have been programmed to slow down or even to cease at a certain stage, and is not likely to be the result of neoplastic transformation.
THEORETICAL ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MECHANICAL HARDNESS AND ITS SENSORY ASSESSMENT

“Hardness” is mainly perceived through the forces that the fingers, jaws or tongue exert. Since the mechanical resistance of the tissues involved is often comparable in magnitude to that of the, tested object, the mechanical sensitivity must decline at a level determined by the resistance of both tissue and object. Sensory response to mechanical stimulus starts at zero, ends up in saturation or pain and ought to have certain mathematical properties. Superposition of the response intensity and the mechanical sensitivity reveals a theoretical relationship between mechanical hardness and its sensory assessment. This relationship implies that scatter in hardness sensory scores is theoretically inevitable and that there must be a certain hardness range for which each organ has maximum sensitivity.
The role of public administrators in public policy making: Practice and prospects in Nigeria

In Nigeria, as elsewhere, the role of the career bureaucracy in public policy making has constituted a subject of conflicting interpretation, practice, and prescription. Although higher public servants have always played a major part in shaping public policy, the extent of their involvement has ebbed and flowed in response to legal, structural, and political changes at the federal, state, and local government levels. In recent years, the exercise of policy making and implementing roles by public administrators has evoked mounting public criticism and top-level career servants in Nigeria have faced unusually serious challenges to their authority. Moreover, confusion over the proper scope of administrative involvement in policy formulation and execution reached new heights both within and outside the public services following the adoption of elected executive forms of government in 1979. The article traces the shifts in bureaucratic policy-making roles and relationships which occurred in the First Republic period, under different military regimes, and immediately following the return to civilian rule. The prospect that more fundamental changes will be forthcoming in the nature and extent of administrative involvement in public policy formation and execution is then explored in the context of past and current practice and conventions, key provisions of the 1979 Constitution, and recent social, political, and economic developments. The author concludes that public administrators will continue to be centrally involved in the policy-making process under present structural arrangements and that a reorientation of the public services away from their prevailing preoccupation with promoting vested interests requires the development of more broadly based political organizations.
Utilization of 100 mb midlatitude height fields as an indicator of sampling effects on total ozone variations

Midlatitude 100-mb height fields are employed to determine the effects of ground based sampling locations on measurements of variations in the total ozone content of the atmosphere. The precision of the zonal average heights computed by the technique of Angell and Korshover (1978) from data over ozone sampling areas at 50 deg N is compared to the zonal average computed from the entire data set. Linear regressions of ozone contents determined by an analysis of backscatter UV satellite data with respect to 100 mb heights are utilized to transform zonal differences in height to ozone levels. The zonal average total ozone sampling error is found to be on the order of 2% for midlatitudes of the Northern hemisphere, indicating that the general shape of ozone trends determined by ground-based observations appears to be real and the increase of ozone from the mid-1960's to the early 1970's may be greater than previously suggested.
Hepatitis C infection in HIV-1 natural viral suppressors

Objective HIV-1 natural viral suppressors (NVSs) demonstrate an intrinsic ability to control HIV-1 replication in the absence of antiretroviral therapy. The objective of this study was to investigate whether HIV-infected NVSs also demonstrate enhanced ability to control hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, and whether HCV infection in the NVSs affects the degree of HIV control. Design and methods A cross-sectional study was undertaken to compare HCV-related parameters in the NVS to the two race-matched cohorts (HIV/HCV-coinfected or HCV-monoinfected patients). Within the NVS, HIV-related parameters were compared based on the presence or absence of chronic HCV. Results NVS patients had a significantly higher clearance rate of HCV at 23.3% (seven of 30), compared to the 6.5% (23 of 350) of HIV/HCV-coinfected and 9.1% (32 of 350) of HCV-monoinfected patients (P = 0.005 and P = 0.024, respectively). Apart from the HCV clearance rate, there was no significant difference in HCV-related parameters such as HCV viral load or liver histology in the NVS with chronic HCV compared to HCV/HIV-coinfected patients or HCV-monoinfected patients. However, NVS patients with chronic HCV infection had statistically significant lower CD4 cell count and CD4%, and lower CD4/CD8 ratio compared to those NVSs without chronic HCV infection (P = 0.029, P = 0.046, and P = 0.062, respectively). Conclusion It appears that some NVS patients have the ability to effectively control multiple agents that can cause chronic viral infections. In addition, it appears that the presence of chronic HCV infection within the NVS adversely affects immunological parameters.
The Planck length as the dimension of a transient black hole

A 'derivation' of the Planck length is presented that identifies it with the diameter of a volume within which mass (energy) fluctuations are sufficient to create a transient black hole.
Multiple-Pulse Spin Locking in Dipolar Solids

We report our preliminary results on a multiple-pulse spin-locking effect in dipolar solids. This effect has significant experimental advantages over prior techniques because of its high duty cycle for data collection. We show that the spin temperature assumption can be applied to explain the rather long-term behavior of the spin system. We also demonstrate how this method can be applied to obtain magnetization curves almost instantly for T1 rho decay and adiabatic demagnetization.