cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Role of Monocytes in Bone Resorption

Bone remodeling occurs in Haversian systems and on endosteal bone surfaces throughout life. The classic or traditional concept of bone remodeling holds that the initial event in bone turnover is osteoclastic bone resorption. Osteoclastic bone resorption causes degradation of the bone matrix and release of bone mineral and the formation of resorption bays or Howship’s lacunae. This phase of osteoclastic bone resorption is followed by a phase of bone formation by osteoblasts. The attraction of osteoblasts to the site of the resorption defect and the activation of the osteoblasts to lay down new bone leads to repair of the resorption bay. Although this coupling of bone formation to bone resorption occurs under physiological and most pathological circumstances, the mechanisms which are responsible for linking bone formation to bone resorption are unknown. Recently some workers have described a putative coupling factor found in bone which leads to increased bone formation (Howard et al., 1980). We have found a chemotactic factor released by resorbing bone which causes unidirectional migration of cells with the characteristics of osteoblasts (Mundy et al., 1980). These factors could explain the coupling or linkage which exists between bone resorption and bone formation.
The Impact of Postgraduate Training on an Examination for Medical Licensure

Physicians in the United States are granted licenses that are unrestricted in terms of area of specialization. However, it is often the case that medical students have made decisions about their intended specialty prior to graduation and that training in their area of interest begins before the license is granted. Early specialization in physician training is a source of conceptual tension, given the general nature of the medical license. The practical implications of this tension arise in the examination system that represents the intersection of education and practice. This investigation looked at the possible effect of specialized training in the first postgraduate year on Step 3 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). Findings indicate that graduates in areas of training that emphasize frequent patient encounters in an ambulatory setting perform better on the final licensing examination, even after accounting for preexisting ability differences. This outcome is consistent with the design of the Step 3 examination and, therefore, provides support for its validity. However, it highlights the inconsistency between licensing practice and the educational system.
A Cluster Analysis of Highly Productive Business and Management Education Scholars.

The authors examined the publications and impact of highly productive business and management education (BME) scholars across the business disciplines of accounting, economics, finance, information...
Predator foraging mode controls the effect of antipredator behavior in a tritrophic model

Antipredator behavior is known to have a strong effect on prey population dynamics. While there have been many studies of antipredator behavior in population dynamic models, none have examined how antipredator behavior interacts with predator foraging mode. To examine this process, we incorporated predator and prey velocities into a simple tritrophic food chain. In this model, antipredator behavior allows prey to respond to predators by slowing their velocity in response to predator density. Prey can slow their velocity to hide from predators, but this in turn reduces their ability to consume resources, creating a trade-off between hiding and foraging. We examined the effects of both fast-moving “mobile” predators and slow-moving “sit-and-wait” predators on equilibrium prey density and amplitude of predator-prey cycles. We found that antipredator behavior was ineffective against mobile predators, but it was very effective against sit-and-wait predators. Antipredator responses to sit-and-wait predators reduced top-down control and allowed prey density to increase with increased carrying capacity. Furthermore, antipredator responses to sit-and-wait predators eliminated population cycles within the community, whereas antipredator behavior had no effect on population cycles within mobile predator communities. Therefore, our model demonstrates predator foraging mode must be taken into account when examining predator-prey cycles. We discuss the potential implications of this model for invasive species and for trophic cascades.
SIMULTANEOUS ESTIMATION OF NEW ANALYTICAL METHOD DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF RANITIDINE AND MAGALDRATE BY HIGH PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY.

A Rapid and Precise Reverse Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatographic method has been developed for the validated of Ranitidine and Magaldrate, in its pure form as well as in tablet dosage form. Chromatography was carried out on an Altima C18 (4.6 x 150mm, 5µm) column using a mixture of ACN, Methanol and Phosphate buffer pH4.0 (10:25:65 v/v) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0ml/min, the detection was carried out at 212nm. The retention time of the Magaldrate and Ranitidine was 2.088, 6.068 ±0.02min respectively. The method produce linear responses in the concentration range of 10-50mg/ml of Ranitidine and 13-65mg/ml of Magaldrate. The method precision for the determination of assay was below 2.0%RSD. The method is useful in the quality control of bulk and pharmaceutical formulations.
Company Type 5: Artists

Artists are those who view a firm as a way to create something wonderful. The two main subtypes differ in how much emphasis they place on seeking the approval of the mass market. Purists are more interested in developing something beautiful in their own eyes and enjoy the creative process; they do not really care about what others think, beyond ensuring the company’s survival. Visionaries are interested in developing something wonderful for their customers. Although profit is secondary to them, visionaries do not consider their work a success unless their target segment reacts to their products/services enthusiastically. Artists seek to create products and services that are the best they can possibly be instead of simply good enough. Profit maximization is at most a secondary concern to them.
Strategy game programming projects

In this paper, we show how programming projects centered around the design and construction of computer players for strategy games can play a meaningful role in the educational process, both in and out of the classroom. We describe several game-related projects undertaken by the author in a variety of pedagogical situations, including introductory and advanced courses as well as independent and collaborative research projects. These projects help students to understand and develop advanced data structures and algorithms, to manage and contribute to a large body of existing code, to learn how to work within a team, and to explore areas at the frontier of computer science research.
Pseudo-transient ghost fluid methods for the Poisson-Boltzmann equation with a two-component regularization

Abstract The Poisson Boltzmann equation (PBE) is a well-established implicit solvent continuum model for the electrostatic analysis of solvated biomolecules. The numerical solution of the nonlinear PBE is still a challenge due to its exponential nonlinear term, strong singularity by the source terms, and distinct dielectric regions. In this paper, a new pseudo-transient approach is proposed, which combines an analytical treatment of singular charges in a two-component regularization, with an analytical integration of nonlinear term in pseudo-time solution. To ensure efficiency, both fully implicit alternating direction implicit (ADI) and unconditionally stable locally one-dimensional (LOD) methods have been constructed to decompose three-dimensional linear systems into one-dimensional (1D) ones in each pseudo-time step. Moreover, to accommodate the nonzero function and flux jumps across the dielectric interface, a modified ghost fluid method (GFM) has been introduced as a first order accurate sharp interface method in 1D style, which minimizes the information needed for the molecular surface. The 1D finite-difference matrix generated by the GFM is symmetric and diagonally dominant, so that the stability of ADI and LOD methods is boosted. The proposed pseudo-transient GFM schemes have been numerically validated by calculating solvation free energy, binding energy, and salt effect of various proteins. It has been found that with the augmentation of regularization and GFM interface treatment, the ADI method not only enhances the accuracy dramatically, but also improves the stability significantly. By using a large time increment, an efficient protein simulation can be realized in steady-state solutions. Therefore, the proposed GFM-ADI and GFM-LOD methods provide accurate, stable, and efficient tools for biomolecular simulations.
Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of the Small Interfering Ribonucleic Acid, Givosiran, in Patients With Acute Hepatic Porphyria

Givosiran is a small interfering ribonucleic acid agent that was recently approved in the United States for the treatment of acute hepatic porphyria (AHP). This phase I study evaluated the safety, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic profile of subcutaneously (SC) administered givosiran in patients with acute intermittent porphyria, the most common AHP type. Givosiran was rapidly absorbed from the SC injection site with peak plasma concentrations achieved within 0.5-5 hours followed by elimination with a short half-life of 4-10 hours. Plasma exposures of AS(N-1)3' givosiran, an active metabolite with equal potency as givosiran, was 35%-75%. Givosiran treatment resulted in a rapid and dose-dependent reduction in urinary aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and porphobilinogen (PBG) towards the upper limit of normal (ULN) in AHP patients. Greater and more sustained reductions in ALA and PBG were achieved with once monthly dosing compared with once quarterly dosing. After monthly dosing, trough ALA levels were reduced to below the ULN, approximately 95% reduction from baseline, at both the 2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg doses.
Reification and the ready-made artist: towards a sensate critique of neoliberalism

This essay examines an innovative approach to the Marxist concept of reification by the contemporary art collective Claire Fontaine, who I argue joins historical materialist and radical democratic ...
Pegfilgrastim on-body injector: Post-market performance analysis.

e19226Background: Granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (G-CSF) are widely used in medical oncology for the prevention of neutropenia and its complications. On-body injectors (OBI) have an advanta...
Towards Runtime Analytics in a Parallel Performance System

Developers of scientific simulations use parallel performance systems to measure, analyze, and tune their applications on large-scale HPC machines. In the majority of these performance systems, the analysis takes place offline. More consequentially, if runtime analytics are desired, performance measurement infrastructures need to be designed and implemented in such a way to make it possible. We investigate the question of how to create runtime analytics capabilities by considering this objective in a reference platform – the TAU Performance System. Our research work identifies general issues of concern and describes how these can be addressed in a new TAUbased analytics framework. Several case studies are proposed as different analytics examples. These are prototyped, evaluated on HPC machines, and discussed. The outcomes of the research study suggest that runtime analytics has merit. Furthermore, we believe the approach could directly carry forward to other parallel performance systems.
The Poynting effect in elastomeric bars undergoing chemo-mechanical evolution:

This work considers a rubber cylinder under zero axial force that elongates in response to the normal stresses produced during torsion (the Poynting effect). The combined elongation and twisting de...
The LHC and the ATLAS Experiment

The results in this thesis are based on pp collision data from the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). In this chapter, a brief introduction of the LHC and the ATLAS experiment is given with an emphasis on the detector systems most relevant for the analysis.
Types of Natural Selection and Tests of Selection

Natural selection leaves distinct signals at loci in the genome that have experienced deleterious or advantageous mutations during their evolution. This chapter provides an overview of the main signatures left by natural selection both at the level of genetic variation within populations and at the level of differences between species. The chapter also details a number of classic summary statistics that exploit these signals to detect and quantify natural selection and the rationale behind these statistics. As such, it offers a basic introduction.
Preliminary outcomes from a learning community to increase biology course knowledge

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the preliminary outcomes of a learning community intervention (LC), which was based on the performance pyramid theoretical model of student supports. The L...
(Mis)informed about what? What it means to be a science-literate citizen in a digital world.

Science literacy is often held up as crucial for avoiding science-related misinformation and enabling more informed individual and collective decision-making. But research has not yet examined whether science literacy actually enables this, nor what skills it would need to encompass to do so. In this report, we address three questions to outline what it should mean to be science literate in today’s world: 1) How should we conceptualize science literacy? 2) How can we achieve this science literacy? and 3) What can we expect science literacy’s most important outcomes to be? If science literacy is to truly enable people to become and stay informed (and avoid being misinformed) on complex science issues, it requires skills that span the “lifecycle” of science information. This includes how the scientific community produces science information, how media repackage and share the information, and how individuals encounter and form opinions on this information. Science literacy, then, is best conceptualized as encompassing three dimensions of literacy spanning the lifecycle: Civic science literacy, digital media science literacy, and cognitive science literacy. Achieving such science literacy, particularly for adults, poses many challenges and will likely require a structural perspective. Digital divides, in particular, are a major structural barrier, and community literacy and building science literacy into media and science communication are promising opportunities. We end with a discussion of what some of the beneficial outcomes could be—and, as importantly, will likely not be—of science literacy that furthers informed and critical engagement with science in democratic society.
Association of azole antifungals with survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer receiving immunotherapy.

e18777Background: Preclinical data suggest certain azole derivatives may have antitumor efficacy and modulate responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Clinical evidence of synergy can supp...
Clinical Outcomes of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Bone and Non-Spine Bone Metastases: A Large Single Institution Experience.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S) Improved oncologic therapies have expanded the role of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for bone metastases; however, the impact of SBRT on local control (LC), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and long-term risks remains poorly understood. We characterized predictive factors associated with clinical outcomes through a large single institution experience. MATERIALS/METHODS We retrospectively reviewed all patients with bone metastases treated with SBRT at our institution and characterized patient, tumor, and treatment factors and subsequent outcomes. Common treatment indications included synchronous (S) or metachronous (M) oligometastatic cancer, re-irradiation, or radioresistant histology. Common fractionations included 30-35Gy/5F, 9-10Gy/3F, 16-20Gy/1F. Outcomes were assessed on a per patient and per lesion basis using Cox regression to evaluate predictive factors for LC, PFS, and OS. Toxicities were graded by CTCAEv5. RESULTS From 2009 to 2020, 434 patients (median age 64, range 19-93, 65% male, 88% Caucasian, ECOG PS 0-1 88%) were treated with SBRT primarily for oligometastatic cancer (82% M, 5% S; 96% with 1-3 lesions) of various origin (39% prostate, 21% breast/lung). 651 lesions (66% spine, 31% non-spine bone, 3% spine/paraspinal) were treated. 96% of lesions had ≥95% PTV covered by 90% of prescription dose (V90) (median 100, range 42-100). Median PTV volume was 41.3cc, and 87% of lesions were < 150cc. 46% lesions were prescribed a biologically equivalent dose (BED) ≥50 (α/β = 10). LC was significantly worse if PTV V90 < 95% (HR 2.06, CI 1.18-3.62, P < 0.05) and improved if prescribed BED≥50 (HR 0.59, CI 0.42-0.83, P < 0.01) on multivariate analysis (MVA). Larger lesions ≥150cc predicted worse LC on univariate analysis (UVA) only (HR 1.80, CI 1.22-2.64, P < 0.005). Improved PFS and OS were associated with better performance status (P < 0.0001) and prostate histology (P < 0.01) on MVA. Metachronous presentation with met-free interval ≥1 year had improved PFS and OS on UVA only (P < 0.001). Common acute toxicities were pain flare (9% vs 12%) and grade 1-2 fatigue (14% vs 19%), among oligometastatic vs re-irradiation lesions, respectively. Late toxicities included treatment-related fracture (1.2%) for oligometastatic lesions and radiation-related myelopathy (2.3%) and nerve pain (1.2%) for re-irradiation/other lesions. CONCLUSION SBRT may be an effective means of improving LC among patients with oligometastatic bone disease if adequate target coverage and a BED≥50 can be achieved, independent of fraction number, and with minimal risk of acute or late toxicity. Prostate histology and performance status were patient factors predictive of PFS and OS. Our experience highlights important factors that can help guide appropriate patient selection and use of SBRT in this unique population.
Differentiation-associated modulation of lactoside binding lectins in cancer cells

Normal development, growth and differentiation of normal and malignantly-transformed cells are accompanied by interactions among cells and between cells and exogenous macromolecules (e.g. extracellular matrix components). These interactions are mediated via homotypic or heterotypic protein-protein, carbohydrate-carbohydrate, or protein-carbohydrate interactions (Brandley et al., 1990; Brandley and Schnaar, 1986; Edelman, 1985; Kleinman et al., 1985; Lotan and Raz, 1988a; Stoolman, 1989). The physiological consequences of such interactions include recognition, adhesion, directed cell migration, positional information, and transduction of signals, which result in changes in the expression of genes involved in cell growth and differentiation (Barcellos- Hoff et al., 1989; Brandley and Schnaar, 1986; Edelman, 1985; Kleinman et al., 1985; Morrison-Graham and Weston, 1989; Rutishauser and Jessell, 1988; Schuetz et al., 1988). The pathological consequences of such interactions include enhanced metastatic properties (Raz and Lotan, Qualitative and quantitative alterations in the molecules which mediate cellular interactions may occur during differentiation (Avner et al., 1985; Dennis et al., 1987; Feizi, 1985; Fukuda, 1985; Muramatsu, as well as after malignant transformation and during tumor progression (Alhadeff, 1989; Dennis et al., 1987; Hakomori, 1989; Muramatsu, 1988) and result in aberrant cellular interactions that can lead to anchorage-independent growth and enhanced tumor cell invasion, embolisation in the circulation, and organ colonization and metastasis (Dennis et al., 1987; Gabius, 1987; Monsigny et al., 1983; Nicolson, 1988; Raz and Lotan, 1987).
In-House Counsel

In-house counsel refers to professionally trained employees working for an organization's law department. They may not be the only legally trained individuals working for the organization, nor the only employees responsible for the legal work of the organization. They are defined by working in a legal department and reporting to a chief legal officer/general counsel. Sociological research on in-house counsel has focused on in-house counsel being both organizational and professional actors.
The Kobold Site, 24BH406: A Post-Althithermal Record of Buffalo-Jumping for The Northwestern Plains

The Kobold Site, 24BH406, contained four components of which the oldest is believed to be an altithermal occupation, Buffalo jumping was not occurring at this time, The other three components produ...
Ethical Dimensions of Disparities in Depression Research and Treatment in the Pharmacogenomic Era

Disparities in access to, and utilization of, treatment for depression among African-American and Caucasian elderly adults have been well-documented. Less fully explored are the multidimensional factors responsible for these disparities. The intersection of cultural constructs, socioeconomic factors, multiple levels of racism, and stigma attending both mental health issues and older age may help to explain disparities in the treatment of the depressed elderly. Personalized medicine with its promise of developing interventions tailored to an individual's health needs and genetically related response to treatment might seem a promising antidote to the documented underutilization of standard depression treatments by African Americans. However, this paper examines the multidimensional factors associated with disparities in effective treatment of depression among African-American and Caucasian elderly adults and argues the scientific and ethical importance of pursuing various paths to address multiple levels and sources of stigma and mistrust if pharmacogenomics is to help, rather than exacerbate, disparities in depression treatment. Seven recommendations are offered to increase the likelihood that developments in pharmacogenomics will reduce disparities in depression treatment.
On the declarative semantics of deductive databases and logic programs

Abstract We investigate the declarative semantics of deductive databases and logic programs. We introduce the class of perfect models of a deductive database and argue that this class of models—enjoying many of the properties of the class of minimal models—provides a correct intended semantics for such databases, incorporating a natural form of the closed-world assumption. We extend the notion of stratified logic programs onto the class of deductive databases, and we prove that every stratified database has perfect models and that every stratified logic program has exactly one such model. We show that perfect models are independent of the choice of a particular stratification and are, in fact, models of McCarthy's prioritized circumscription. Finally, we introduce the class of locally stratified databases and logic programs (significantly extending the class of stratified databases) and show that all our results can be extended onto this broader class.
Marked QT prolongation and ventricular tachycardia of a transient nature in young children with cardiomyopathy.

Significant prolongation of the QT interval in pediatric patients with cardiomyopathy is rare. We report two cases of dilated myopathy with transient and dramatic QT prolongation. Both had associated ventricular arrhythmias, with one having torsade de pointes, and the other nonsustained ventricular tachycardia. Normalization of their QTc occurred as their ventricular function improved. (PACE 2012; 35:247–250)
Damping Effects of Drogue Parachutes on Orion Crew Module Dynamics

Because simulations of the Orion Crew Module (CM) dynamics with drogue parachutes deployed were under-predicting the amount of damping seen in free-flight tests, an attach-point damping model was applied to the Orion system. A key hypothesis in this model is that the drogue parachutes' net load vector aligns with the CM drogue attachment point velocity vector. This assumption seems reasonable and has historically produced good results, but has never been experimentally verified. The wake of the CM influences the drogue parachutes, which makes performance predictions of the parachutes difficult. Many of these effects are not currently modeled in the simulations. A forced oscillation test of the CM with parachutes was conducted in the NASA LaRC 20-Ft Vertical Spin Tunnel (VST) to gather additional data to validate and refine the attach-point damping model. A second loads balance was added to the original Orion VST model to measure the drogue parachute loads independently of the CM. The objective of the test was to identify the contribution of the drogues to CM damping and provide additional information to quantify wake effects and the interactions between the CM and parachutes. The drogue parachute force vector was shown to be highly dependent on the CM wake characteristics. Based on these wind tunnel test data, the attach-point damping model was determined to be a sufficient approximation of the parachute dynamics in relationship to the CM dynamics for preliminary entry vehicle system design. More wake effects should be included to better model the system.
Advances in prestack depth migration

Abstract Prestack depth migration is a useful tool for understanding complex structures in the North Sea and elsewhere around the world. Advances in computer speed and algorithm design have made depth migration of most 2-D data sets practical with current technology. Depth migration's greatest limitation is its sensitivity to the background velocity field. Currently, the most active research is on techniques for determining this velocity field, such as layer stripping, focusing analysis and tomography. These tools involve a degree of interpretation not normally seen in conventional seismic processing. If a good prestack depth migration is to be obtained, it is now well accepted that this interpretation component must form an integral part of the velocity model determination process. We present examples from the North Sea illustrating the strengths, and weaknesses, of various depth migration velocity analysis methods, and the interpretive steps they involve.
Using Satire to Teach Introduction to Political Science

Political satire in popular culture has become increasingly prominent in recent years, especially through programs like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Some political science professors have responded by employing more satire in their courses. The motivation is clear: students enjoy and are entertained by satire, research shows that they may actually be informed by it, and satire can make teaching a more enjoyable experience. Yet recent work suggests that political satire may encourage cynicism and decrease political efficacy among students—a finding likely to give instructors pause. Using classroom experiments, I systematically explore the effects of satire, focusing in particular on political efficacy. The results offer suggestive evidence refuting the earlier warning, indicating that satire does not decrease political efficacy; in fact, it may even increase it. Additionally, both qualitative and quantitative evidence presented here indicates that students enjoy satire and recommend that it be used to teach future courses. Although the results are certainly not conclusive, they may offer enough evidence to justify including an article from The Onion on the reading list or showing a clip from Saturday Night Live in class. For instructors that are so inclined, the appendix contains a catalogued sample of satirical articles, video clips, and cartoons that can be used to teach specific political science concepts.
The cobC gene of Salmonella typhimurium codes for a novel phosphatase involved in the assembly of the nucleotide loop of cobalamin.

We report the identification of a new locus, designated cobC, involved in the assembly of the nucleotide loop of cobalamin in Salmonella typhimurium. The cobC gene has been mapped, cloned, and sequenced. DNA sequence analysis suggested that cobC is divergently transcribed from the adjacent cobD gene and suggests that the regulatory region of these genes overlap. The cobC gene codes for a predicted polypeptide of 26 kDa with striking homology to phosphoglycerate mutase, fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase, and acid phosphatase enzymes. In vitro experiments demonstrated that CobC dephosphorylated the cobalamin biosynthetic intermediate N1-(5-phospho-alpha-D-ribosyl)-5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole to generate N1-alpha-D-ribosyl-5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole. In vivo data showed that the lack of cobC function blocks the synthesis of cobalamin from its precursors cobinamide and 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole, i.e. it prevents the assembly of the nucleotide loop of cobalamin. Additionally, exogenous N1-alpha-D-ribosyl-5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole rescues the defect of a cobC mutant. We propose that cobC codes for a novel phosphatase whose primary role is in cobalamin biosynthesis. A model for the sequence of biosynthetic steps that assemble the nucleotide loop of cobalamin in S. typhimurium is presented.
Role of the site of synaptic competition and the balance of learning forces for Hebbian encoding of probabilistic Markov sequences

The majority of distinct sensory and motor events occur as temporally ordered sequences with rich probabilistic structure. Sequences can be characterized by the probability of transitioning from the current state to upcoming states (forward probability), as well as the probability of having transitioned to the current state from previous states (backward probability). Despite the prevalence of probabilistic sequencing of both sensory and motor events, the Hebbian mechanisms that mold synapses to reflect the statistics of experienced probabilistic sequences are not well understood. Here, we show through analytic calculations and numerical simulations that Hebbian plasticity (correlation, covariance, and STDP) with pre-synaptic competition can develop synaptic weights equal to the conditional forward transition probabilities present in the input sequence. In contrast, post-synaptic competition can develop synaptic weights proportional to the conditional backward probabilities of the same input sequence. We demonstrate that to stably reflect the conditional probability of a neuron's inputs and outputs, local Hebbian plasticity requires balance between competitive learning forces that promote synaptic differentiation and homogenizing learning forces that promote synaptic stabilization. The balance between these forces dictates a prior over the distribution of learned synaptic weights, strongly influencing both the rate at which structure emerges and the entropy of the final distribution of synaptic weights. Together, these results demonstrate a simple correspondence between the biophysical organization of neurons, the site of synaptic competition, and the temporal flow of information encoded in synaptic weights by Hebbian plasticity while highlighting the utility of balancing learning forces to accurately encode probability distributions, and prior expectations over such probability distributions.
Christian Realism and Augustinian (?) Liberalism

Augustine's ontology, ecclesiology, and soteriology have recently been mined to help Christian realists and liberals respond to the problems that pluralism and conflict create for democratic societies. The results challenge those secularists who object to the late antique prelate's “moralizing” as well as others who insist that “public reason”—not religious traditions—makes for more meaningful political conversations and for collaboration “across differences.” But the results also raise the question whether Augustine would have gone along with the realists and liberals he has inspired and outfitted.
Lower-body parkinsonism: reconsidering the threshold for external lumbar drainage.

This Case Study describes a 80-year-old patient with lower-body parkinsonism who was diagnosed with vascular parkinsonism on the basis of clinical and neuroimaging findings, but whose gait and, to a lesser extent, cognitive impairments improved following external lumbar drainage. Postmortem neuropathology confirmed a diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus. Background An 80-year-old man with a 60 pack-year smoking habit, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia presented to a movement disorders clinic with a 30-month history of step-wise progression of gait, balance, and memory impairment. He had experienced multiple falls and two hospitalizations for sudden-onset freezing of gait. Investigations Neurological examination, brain MRI, neuropsychological evaluation, gait analysis, continuous external lumbar drainage of cerebrospinal fluid, and post-mortem neuropathological studies. Diagnosis Vascular parkinsonism was diagnosed on the basis of the patient's history and imaging findings; however, post-mortem neuropathology was consistent with a diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus and did not support that of vascular parkinsonism. Treatment Ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement superseded tighter control of vascular risk factors, as judged by the patient's response to continuous lumbar drainage.
Mechanistic Aspects of Crosstalk Between GH and PRL and ErbB Receptor Family Signaling

Growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (PRL) are anterior pituitary hormones that have multiple roles in growth and metabolism. Both hormones are important in mammary development and breast cancer. The epidermal growth factor (EGF) family of peptides and the receptors that they activate (the ErbB family) are also major players in mammary biology and pathophysiology. Recent studies in signal transduction have highlighted the interplay between signaling pathways referred to as crosstalk. In this review, cell biological and signaling studies related to crosstalk between GH and PRL and the ErbB family are discussed. In particular, the role of GH- and PRL-induced phosphorylation of ErbB receptors in regulating EGF responsiveness is highlighted with attention to potential pathophysiological relevance.
Toward a comprehensive model of ∆(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol pharmacokinetics using a population pharmacokinetics approach.

In the article ‘‘Population pharmacokinetic model of THC integrates oral, intravenous, and pulmonary dosing and characterizes shortand long-term pharmacokinetics’’, Heuberger and colleagues [1] describe a model of D-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) pharmacokinetics derived from a population pharmacokinetics approach. Population pharmacokinetics is an analytical strategy that develops a statistical model describing the functional relationship between the concentration of a drug and time, typically using non-linear regression with data from individual subjects [2]. A major advantage of this approach over more traditional methods is that the model can be derived from sparsely sampled clinical data, requiring only a few samples from each subject [2, 3]. Further, the data can come from distinct studies with different experimental designs [2]. Population pharmacokinetics is often used to identify pharmacokinetic differences between populations of interest (e.g., adults vs. children). However, the model can also be used to characterize pharmacokinetics of different routes of administration, while still accounting for individual differences in drug disposition [3]. These features can produce detailed models that are relevant to clinical applications (e.g., by guiding a dosing strategy that maintains a drug’s concentration within its therapeutic range) [2]. The model developed by Heuberger and colleagues could improve the therapeutic use of THC, which is under consideration for an expanding range of maladies [4–6]. The pharmacokinetics of THC are complex, and depend on the route of administration as well as individual subject factors such as metabolic capacity and adiposity [7]. This variability, along with the challenge of obtaining repeated samples in an individual over the extended duration required to capture THC elimination, poses a challenge to the development of a comprehensive model of THC pharmacokinetics. The population pharmacokinetic approach used by Heuberger and colleagues [1] addresses these challenges. The model the authors developed used historical data from four different datasets that included pulmonary (either smoked or vaporized), intravenous, and oral routes of administration. The model was then validated by performing visual predictive checks with data not used to build the model. This validation is an important aspect of the work and increases confidence that the model can be generalized to other studies, and, ultimately, to clinical applications. Notably, the model of Heuberger and colleagues (1) incorporates various routes of administration, (2) allows blood THC concentration estimates for an individual from relatively few samples, and (3) incorporates the long terminal phase of THC elimination. Below, the implications of these features are discussed, followed by a description of areas requiring additional research before the model can be applied clinically.
Designing a production line for howitzer projectiles

As real budgets have become increasingly austere, the Department of Defense has recently begun to rely on simulation as a planning tool. In some cases simulation has become mandatory before significant projects are undertaken. This was the case in the modernization of a production line for howitzer pro jectiles in the Midwest. Simulation proved worth while in this project. Although there was initial resistance to the burdensome data-collection effort, simulation gained increased credibility with the con tracted engineering design team. It provided great insights into the requirements of this queuing net work during the initial phases of the design. Later, after initial development and verification, the model was used to explore a variety of design contingencies.
Synthesis and characterization of acrylamide-N-isopropyl acrylamide copolymer grafts on silicone rubber substrates

Abstract Radiation grafting has been used to modify the surface composition of a polymeric biomaterial without changing its mechanical properties. The graft copolymer surface modifications may result in significant changes in protein and cell adhesion to the surface, and thus in the overall biological response to the foreign material. In this paper we present a study of the radiation grafting of an unusual monomer, N-isopropyl acrylamide, and its copolymers with acrylamide, onto silicone rubber. This graft system may be able to influence protein adsorption and cell interactions in a unique fashion due to the special hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance and the unusual hydration character of the grafted copolymer.
Nonselectivity in establishment of neuromuscular connections following nerve regeneration in the rat

Abstract Experiments were performed to determine if the fibers of the sciatic or tibial nerves that normally innervate the soleus and plantaris muscles will, after regeneration, selectively reinnervate these muscles. In addition to nine unoperated control rats, thirty-seven operated animals were studied 4 months after one of the following procedures: sciatic nerve transection and resuture in adults (9), sciatic nerve crush in adults (8), tibial nerve transection and resuture in adults (5), tibial nerve crush in adults (5), sciatic nerve transection in neonatal rats (5), sciatic nerve crush in neonatal rats (5). Recordings were made of the isometric tensions (T) developed by the soleus and plantaris muscles during supramaximal tetanic stimulation of lumbar nerves L4 and L5 singly and simultaneously (L4 + 5). In normal rats L4 supplies a proportionately greater functional innervation to the plantaris than to the soleus, the ratio TL4/TL5 being significantly higher in the plantaris than in the soleus. In none of the six operated groups could any such difference in the ratio of the two muscles be demonstrated. Consequently there is no evidence of selectivity in the regeneration of the plantaris and soleus nerve fiber constituents of the sciatic or tibial nerves. Both the plantaris and soleus muscles of each operated group showed greater tension overlap than the corresponding muscles of the unoperated control group. Tension overlap was computed as follows: (TL4 + TL5 − TL4 + 5) TL4 + 5 . Gold chloride impregnations of motor end plates indicate that the increased overlap results only in part from increased numbers of dually innervated (presumably bisegmentally innervated) muscle fibers.
Use of the Continuous Response Digital Interface in the Evaluation of Live Musical Performance

The present study was designed to assess the usefulness of the Continuous Response Digital Interface (CDRI) as a tool for assessing student performance in a field setting. Judges evaluated musical ...
On the integral equations of optimal signal detection and estimation theory

The analysis of many optimal signal detection and estimation processes involves the solution of Fredholm integral equations. A New approach to these equations is presented. It consists of reducing the Fredholm integral equation to a Cauchy system which is well suited to numerical solution.
Time and Time Again: The Many Ways to Represent Time

One of the most crucial problems in any computer system that involves representing the world is the representation of time. This includes applications such as databases, simulation, expert systems, and applications of Artificial Intelligence in general. In this brief article, I will give a survey of the basic techniques available for representing time, and then talk about temporal reasoning in a general setting as needed in AI applications. Quite different representations of time are usable depending on the assumptions that can be made about the temporal information to be represented. the most crucial issue is the degree of certainty one can assume. Can one assume that a timestamp can be assigned to each event, or barring that, that the events are fully ordered? Or can we only assume that a partial ordering of events is known? Can events be simultaneous? Can they overlap in time and yet not be simultaneous? If they are not instaneous, do we know the durations of events? Different answers to each of these questions allow very different representations of time.
The World of the Luttrell Psalter – By Michelle P. Brown

Visual evidence from the Middle Ages has long provided windows into the complexities of that historical period. In particular, the Luttrell Psalter presents vivid images of a fourteenth‐century Eng...
Positron annihilation in irradiated acetyl methionine

Abstract The effects of X-irradiation on positron annihilation to acetyl methronine have been measured. Correlation of the results with ESR data indicates that the intensity of the τ 2 component depends on the type of free radicals present.
On tracking multiple indistinguishable targets

In this paper, we propose a generic approach to tracking multiple indistinguishable moving targets with wireless sensor networks. The tracking algorithm first separates the aggregate signals from multiple indistinguishable targets via the Blind Source Separation (BSS) method. Through the analysis on both the temporal and the spatial correlation of the separated individual signals, the tracking algorithm determines the real-time location of a target and its moving track. A voting scheme based on the spatial information is designed to better estimate the moving track. Furthermore, we analyze and discuss the influence of signal attenuation and the tracking resolution of the proposed tracking approach. Both empirical experiments and simulations show that the proposed approach can both accurately and precisely track multiple indistinguishable moving targets.
OVERCOMING SOCIOECONOMIC STRUGGLE AND ENCOUNTERING RISK: LIVED EXPERIENCES OF SOUTH AFRICAN FEMALE MIGRANTS

This article employs ethnographic methods to study the motivations and sexual behaviors of migrant women between the ages of 15 and 45 living in informal settlements near Rustenberg, South Africa. We build on the prior literature on female mobility in South Africa, which describes a history of women who, under coercion to maintain the rural homestead in order to support the formal male migrant labor system, used migration as a means to escape. Our informants were not only driven by a desire to flee their destitute rural communities, but also by a need for autonomy that would enable them to provide for their families back home. Guided by women who had made the journey before them, our informants’ arrival was marked by a realization that their economic security rested solely on their ability to establish relationships with men, who served both as long-term lovers as well as shorter-term transactional pursuits. This article dissects the complex nature of these relationships, which cannot simply be reduced to prostitution. The varying power dynamics are especially evidence in the case of condom use, and suggest that while women exhibit instances of empowerment, they are highly vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases, particularly HIV.
Noninvasive laser neurolysis in carpal tunnel syndrome

The peripheral nervous system is photosensitive providing the scientific rationale for this study, which determines the efficacy and safety of laser light exposure in 30 cases with CTS. Nine joules of energy over five points (7-15 treatments) reversed CTS in 77% of cases with three-fold normalization of CMAP. A photobiologic response was seen in 80% of nerves. This unique and novel approach is cost-effective and will play a role in future management of CTS.
Performance-limiting factors for GaAs-based single nanowire photovoltaics

GaAs nanowires (NWs) offer the possibility of decoupling light absorption from charge transport for high-performance photovoltaic (PV) devices. However, it is still an open question as to whether these devices can exceed the Shockley-Queisser efficiency limit for single-junction PV. In this work, single standing GaAs-based nanowire solar cells in both radial and vertical junction configurations is analyzed and compared to a planar thin-film design. By using a self-consistent, electrical-optically coupled 3D simulator, we show the design principles for nanowire and planar solar cells are significantly different; nanowire solar cells are vulnerable to surface and contact recombination, while planar solar cells suffer significant losses due to imperfect backside mirror reflection. Overall, the ultimate efficiency of the GaAs nanowire solar cell with radial and vertical junction is not expected to exceed that of the thin-film design, with both staying below the Shockley-Queisser limit.
Image chopping techniques for fast measurement of irradiance distribution parameters

In several applications it is necessary to get a fast evaluation of the shape and quality of an image of a point source. Since a complete description by means of the point spread function involves time-consuming data processing, it is necessary to limit the evaluation to a set of parameters which can be measured at high rates. Such a set can be defined in terms of the first and second moments of the distribution. In this article the centroid, variance, eccentricity, and angle of the principal axes are suggested as pertinent parameters, and an image chopping technique for fast measurement of these parameters is described.