cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Active Learning Across Borders: Lessons From an Interactive Workshop in Brazil

This article reports on the results of a workshop on active teaching and learning sponsored by the Instituto de Relacoes Internacionais at the University of Brasilia. This 2-day, intensive workshop was designed by the authors to introduce teaching and learning strategies and to promote critical dialogue for professors and advanced students from institutions across Brazil. Details are provided on sessions that addressed the philosophy behind active teaching and learning, resources available for developing and carrying out exercises, a wide range of techniques, and the importance of debriefing and assessment. Finally, the article provides an evaluation of the workshop experience, emphasizing its potential value for training international relations instructors, both within the United States and across other international contexts, on ways to integrate active teaching and learning into their classrooms.
Two early mississippian seeds from the price formation of Southwestern Virginia

Lagenospermum imparirameum Arnold, originally described from a few specimens of cupulate seeds borne on two or three times dichotomous branches, is now shown to be borne on more complex branching systems. Details of the cupule and seed morphology are added and an emended diagnosis of the taxon is given. A new species,Gnetopsis hispida, is described as the third occurrence of this genus and the first occurrence in beds of Lower Mississippian Age in North America. The classification, evolutionary implications, and dispersal biology are discussed for each of the seeds
Circannual prolactin rhythms : calendar-like timer revealed in the pituitary gland

Although photoperiodic regulation of annual rhythms in reproduction and other functions has been well characterized, the basis for the endogenous generation of circannual rhythms during exposure to constant conditions has not been elucidated. Lincoln and colleagues have recently reported that circannual prolactin rhythms in rams persist after hypothalamo-pituitary disconnection, but not after pinealectomy. Does the pars tuberalis, the site of pituitary gland melatonin receptors, generate circannual rhythms and integrate photoperiodic signals mediated by melatonin?
Clinical implementation of radiobiological measures in treatment planning. Why has it taken so long

This article is an editorial, and it doesn't include an abstract. Full text of this article is available in HTML and PDF . Cite this article as : Mavroidis P. Clinical implementation of radiobiological measures in treatment planning. Why has it taken so long? Int J Cancer Ther Oncol 2013; 1 (1):01019. DOI : 10.14319/ijcto.0101.9 --------------------------------
Metabolism and toxicity of metribuzin in mouse liver

Abstract Metribuzin was hepatotoxic in mice when administered intraperitoneally (ip) at sublethal doses of 150 to 250 mg/kg. Four dose-dependent abnormalities were evident. Histopathological examination revealed a fulminant centrilobular hepatic necrosis. The serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT) activity was elevated. The liver glutathione (GSH) content was almost completely depleted. There was extensive covalent binding of radiocarbon from [carbonyl-14C]metribuzin to liver proteins and also high blood levels of metribuzin fragments. Each of these four effects of metribuzin on the liver or blood was alleviated or blocked in mice pretreated with piperonyl butoxide (PB), which inhibits the cytochrome P-450-dependent monooxygenase. PB also reduced the lethality of metribuzin by three-fold. In contrast, pretreatment with diethyl maleate to suppress the liver GSH content increased the lethality of metribuzin by twofold. The hepatotoxicity and acute lethality of metribuzin were probably due to reactive intermediates which are normally detoxified by GSH conjugation. The principal urinary metabolites of metribuzin in mice and rats are mercapturic acids, which arise via metribuzin sulfoxide or deaminometribuzin sulfoxide reacting with GSH. Sulfoxidation therefore appears to activate metribuzin to an electrophilic metabolite which, in the absence of GSH, binds to tissue proteins producing hepatotoxicity.
Electroporation of the vacuole-attached patch-clamp configuration allows access to the tonoplast resistance and estimation of its specific conductance

Electroporation involves the formation of pores in the lipid phase of a membrane. These pores often last for dozens of minutes resulting in long-term electroporation, or they may last for only a few seconds yielding short-term electroporation. Electroporating pulses (1 V for 30 ms) were given in the vacuole-attached configuration using vacuoles from Beta vulgaris and endoplasmic droplets from Chara corallina resulting in a lowering of the patch resistance and allowing measurement of the tonoplast resistance. Estimates of tonoplast specific conductances, adjusted for the influence of the tip and seal resistances, of 0.343 pS/μm2 (N=37, S.E.=0.039 pS/μm2) for Beta vulgaris and 0.442 pS/μm2 (N=3, S.E.=0.040) for Chara corallina were obtained. Electroporation of the patch membrane in the vacuole-attached configuration was obtained in 77 out of 180 experiments while patch rupture was only seen in three trials. Seal resistance stability was confirmed when tip withdrawal from this electroporated vacuole-attached configuration resulted in a return to a resistance in the gigaohm range. The physical persistence of the patch membrane during electroporation was confirmed by direct observation and by the retention of betacyanins. Implications of this work for studies using the whole-vacuole configuration are discussed.
The Shifting of Sales Taxes

Ad valorem and specific taxes compared, 276. — Incidence of ad valorem taxes: constant cost, 276; increasing cost, 279; decreasing cost, 280. — Effect on monopoly price, 282. — Conclusions, 282.
Acute autoimmune encephalomyelitis in mice. II. Susceptibility is controlled by the combination of H-2 and histamine sensitization genes.

The expression of acute experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in mice is controlled by several dominant genes, H-2 and histamine sensitization genes. SJL/J and SWR/J, which are H-2s and H-2q, respectively, are susceptible to EAE and sensitive to Bordetella pertussis histamine-sensitizing factor (HSF), which produces a vasoactive amine hypersensitivity. Other H-2s or H-2q strains such as A.SW, B10.Q and several others do not develop acute EAE and are not sensitive to B. pertussis HSF. One strain tested, DDD (KsIsD?) is HSF sensitive but does not develop EAE (presumably because it lacks the appropriate responder H-2 haplotype). However, F1 hybrids between B10.S and DDD are sensitive to HSF and develop EAE. The induction and effector phases of acute EAE are apparently controlled by the combination of H-2 and HSF genes. A combination of the correct H-2 hapotype and histamine sensitivity is required for the development of acute EAE.
Double-Outlet Right Ventricle (Tetralogy of Fallot Type) Associated with Anomalous Origin of the Left Coronary Artery from the Right Pulmonary Artery: Report of Successful Total Repair in a 2-Month-Old Infant

The case reported herein demonstrates the rare association of double-outlet right ventricle (tetralogy of Fallot type) with anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery. It is the first reported successful total surgical repair in an infant.
Microbial Communities and Their Interactions in Soil and Rhizosphere Ecosystems

Since the first estimate of prokaryotic abundance in soil was published, researchers have attempted to assess the abundance and distribution of species and relate this information on community structure to ecosystem function. Culture-based methods were found to be inadequate to the task, and as a consequence a number of culture-independent approaches have been applied to the study of microbial diversity in soil. Applications of various culture-independent methods to descriptions of soil and rhizosphere microbial communities are reviewed. Culture-independent analyses have been used to catalog the species present in various environmental samples and also to assess the impact of human activity and interactions with plants or other microbes on natural microbial communities. Recent work has investigated the linkage of specific organisms to ecosystem function. Prospects for increased understanding of the ecological significance of particular populations through the use of genomics and microarrays are discussed.
Cost-effectiveness analysis of active surveillance screening for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in an academic hospital setting.

Objective. To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of 3 alternative active screening strategies for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA): universal surveillance screening for all hospital admissions, targeted surveillance screening for intensive care unit admissions, and no surveillance screening.Design. Cost-effectiveness analysis using decision modeling.Methods. Cost-effectiveness was evaluated from the perspective of an 800-bed academic hospital with 40,000 annual admissions over the time horizon of a hospitalization. All input probabilities, costs, and outcome data were obtained through a comprehensive literature review. Effectiveness outcome was MRSA healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted.Results. In the base case, targeted surveillance screening was a dominant strategy (ie, was associated with lower costs and resulted in better outcomes) for preventing MRSA HAI. Universal surveillance screening was associated with an incrementa...
A review of sea ice and ocean modeling relevant to the Labrador and Newfoundland shelves

Numerical and analytical models of sea ice and ocean circulation are reviewed from a viewpoint of their application to the Labrador and Newfoundland shelves. Seasonal variabilities of sea ice and ocean circulation have not been reported in numerical models. The difficulty comes from the importance of both stratification and bottom topography. Sea ice should be included for seasonal cycle calculations. Individual mechanisms of variabilities with time scales ranging from a day to a month have been studied extensively using various models so that the coupling of these models will make it possible to test the predictability of sea ice and ocean circulation. The data collected during LIMEX'87 and '89 provide verification of the models. >
The Influence of Advisers on Foreign Policy Decision Making: An Experimental Study

The influence of advisers on foreign policy processes and choice and on how decision strategies affect foreign policy outcomes are examined. Using the poliheuristic theory of foreign policy decision making and process-tracing techniques in an experimental setting, the effects of the presence of advisers on strategy selection and choice and the influence of strategy selection on choice in a foreign policy scenario are tested. The findings show that decision makers are highly sensitive to and cognizant of the political ramifications of their decisions. Specifically, political information and advice influenced information processing and foreign policy choices. The findings have significant implications for the study of foreign policy decision making and the understanding of real-world foreign policy decisions.
BLADDER CANCER IN PET DOGS: A SENTINEL FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CANCER?

Proportional morbidity ratios (PMRs) were calculated for cancers, by site or type, in 8760 pet dogs seen at 13 veterinary medical teaching hospitals in the United States and Canada. A significant positive correlation was seen between the PMRs for canine bladder cancer and the overall level of industrial activity in the host county of the hospital. An analysis of mortality from bladder cancer among white men and women in the same US counties showed similar correlations with industrial activity. Canine bladder cancer could be a sentinel condition whose investigation in locales might lead to early identification of carcinogenic hazards in the general environment.
Regulation of receptor-mediated endocytosis by Rho and Rac

PINOCYTOSIS and membrane ruffling are among the earliest and most dramatic cellular responses to stimulation by growth factors or other mitogens1. The small Ras-related G proteins Rho and Rac have a regulatory role in membrane ruffling1–3 and activated Rho has been shown to stimulate pinocytosis when microinjected into Xenopus oocytes4. In contrast to these well established effects of Rho and Rac on plasma membrane morphology and bulk pinocytosis, there has been no evidence for their involvement in the regulation of receptor-mediated endocytosis in clathrin-coated pits. Here we show that activated Rho and Rac inhibit transferrin-receptor-mediated endocytosis when expressed in intact cells. Furthermore, we have reconstituted these effects in a cell-free system and established that Rho and Rac can regulate clathrin-coated vesicle formation.
Aligned carbon nanotubes: from controlled synthesis to electronic applications

Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) possess superior geometrical, electronic, chemical, thermal, and mechanical properties and are very attractive for applications in electronic devices and circuits. To make this a reality, the nanotube orientation, density, diameter, electronic property, and even chirality should be well controlled. This Feature article focuses on recent achievements researchers have made on the controlled growth of horizontally aligned SWNTs and SWNT arrays on substrates and their electronic applications. Principles and strategies to control the morphology, structure, and properties of SWNTs are reviewed in detail. Furthermore, electrical properties of field-effect transistors fabricated on both individual SWNTs and aligned SWNT arrays are discussed. State-of-the-art electronic devices and circuits based on aligned SWNTs and SWNT arrays are also highlighted.
Gene therapy for neurological disorders and brain tumors

Gene Therapy For Neurological Disorders and Brain Tumors by E.A. Chiocca and X.O. Breakefield. Humana Press, Totowa, New Jersey, 1998, 464 p.
Spacing system of the Mysore slender loris (Loris lydekkerianus lydekkerianus).

Loris lydekkerianus lydekkerianus has been shown to have a promiscuous copulatory pattern, to maintain social networks via frequent loud calls, to interact socially throughout the night with all age classes, and to sleep socially. Though these behaviors point towards a multimale social system, no study of their spacing system has yet been provided to support this view. From October 1997-August 1998, I conducted a study of the Mysore slender loris in Ayyalur, India. During 1,400 field hours, data were collected on range use of 3 adult females, 3 adult males, 1 subadult female, and 1 subadult male. Lorises slept in groups averaging 4 individuals, composed of an adult female, her offspring, and 1-2 adult and subadult males. Sleeping sites for three groups were located within 1.9 ha in the center of the study area. The minimum convex polygon in hectares encompassing each animal's range was determined, as well as overlap among home ranges of individual lorises. Average home range sizes were: adult males, 3.6 ha +/- 0.09; subadult/smaller males, 1.17 ha +/- 0.26; and adult and subadult females, 1.59 ha +/- 0.24. Male ranges overlapped with at least 2-3 other adult males (0.72 ha +/- 0.23). Female ranges overlapped slightly with at least 2 other female ranges (0.22 ha +/- 0.25). Male ranges overlapped those of at least 3 females (0.82 ha +/- 0.51). Patterns of home range and sleeping site support previous suggestions of a multimale social system, similar to aye ayes and some galagos.
Radiometric Dating of Marine Shells from the Bootlegger Cove Clay, Anchorage Area, Alaska

Four radiocarbon age determinations indicate that the Bootlegger Cove Clay was deposited about 14,000 yrs ago. A new uranium-series age of 15,200 ± 2,800 yrs supports the radio-carbon age. In this age determination, U 234 /U 238 activity ratios are measured and correction is made for extraneous Th 230 . Previous uranium-series age determinations, ranging from 25,000 to 48,000 yrs, did not employ these procedures, and are seemingly invalid. The Bootlegger Cove Clay, which has been designated the type deposit for the Woronzofian transgression, is here interpreted to represent a marine transgression following the maximum development of the glaciation of Wisconsin age rather than an interstadial event of mid-Wisconsin age or an older glacial or interglacial event.
Airway sealing pressures of the laryngeal mask airway in pediatric patients.

Abstract Study Objectives : To determine if the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) seal is maintained during surgery, to evaluate the safety of an LMA leak test, and to determine the time course of the increase in LMA cuff pressure in vivo in the presence of nitrous oxide (N 2 O). Study Design: Descriptive clinical study. Setting: University teaching hospital. Patients: 78 ASA Physical Status I and II pediatric patients, aged 3 months to 17 years, undergoing general anesthesia with an LMA; 14 patients were studied on two occasions approximately 2 months apart. Interventions: The airway pressure at which the LMA seal was broken (leak pressure) was determined immediately following insertion of the LMA and at the end of surgery. In 17 patients, the LMA cuff pressure was continuously measured during surgery, during which 67% N 2 O was administered. The mean duration of surgery was 29.5 minutes. Measurements and Main Results: The LMA leak pressure was determined by closing the circuit popoff valve and recording the pressure at which gas was first heard to escape around the LMA at the mouth. The LMA cuff pressure was determined by connecting the check valve of the LMA pilot balloon to a sphygmomanometer. The elastance of the LMA was determined from the slopes of the regression lines of pressure versus volume for the various sized LMAs in vitro (Sizes 1–4) and in vivo (sizes 2 and 212). The initial LMA leak pressure was 25.9 cm H 2 O, and it increased to 31.2 cm H 2 O during surgery ( p p Conclusions: The LMA leak test can be safely performed. The airway seal provided by the LMA is well maintained during surgery. The increase in LMA cuff pressure during surgery in the presence of N 2 O is small and probably is not a cause for clinical concern. If positive pressure is to applied in the presence of an LMA, one should limit this pressure to below the LMA leak pressure so as to lower the risk of inflating the stomach with gas that may than leak around the LMA.
Do density-driven mating system differences explain reproductive incompatibilities between populations of a placental fish?

Matrotrophy, the provisioning of embryos between fertilization and birth, creates the potential for conflict between mothers and embryos over the level of maternal investment. This conflict is predicted to drive the evolution of reproductive isolation between populations with different mating systems. In this study, we examine whether density-driven mating system differences explain the patterns of asymmetric reproductive isolation observed in previous studies involving four populations of the matrotrophic least killifish, Heterandria formosa. Minimum sire number reconstructions suggested that two populations characterized by low densities had lower levels of concurrent multiple paternity than two populations characterized by high densities. However, low levels of genetic variation in the low-density populations greatly reduced our probability of detecting multiple mating in them. Once we took the lower level of genetic variation into account in our estimations, high levels of multiple paternity appeared the rule in all four populations. In the population where we had the greatest power of detecting multiple mating, we found that multiple paternity in H. formosa typically involves multiple sires contributing to offspring within the same brood instead of different fathers contributing to distinct, simultaneously provisioned broods. Paternity was often skewed towards one sire. Our results suggest that differences between H. formosa populations in the levels of multiple paternity are not sufficient to explain the reproductive isolation seen in previous studies. We suggest that other influences on maternal‐foetal conflict may contribute to the pattern of reproductive isolation observed previously. Alternatively, the asymmetric reproductive isolation seen in previous studies might reflect the disruption of maternal‐foetal coadaptation.
Unperturbed dimensions of stereoregular polymers

Results from numerous studies of unperturbed dimensions for vinyl polymers are tabulated for the first time. A comparison is made between results from theta temperature measurement and those estimated from measurements in good solvents. Data for poly(1-pentene)38 was used by the authors to obtain Figs. 2–5. This data had not previously been used to obtain estimates of the uperturbed dimensions. It is concluded that these estimation procedures are generally quite acceptable, giving values usually within 8% of those determined in theta solvents. Statistical calculations for the dependence of the unperturbed dimensions on stereoregularity are considered in the light of the available data. The calculations predict an increase in the characteristic ratio, C∞, at intermediate tacticities for vinylidene polymers whereas a decrease is predicted for vinyl polymers. It is shown that little experimental data currently exists to confirm these predictions. It is pointed out that this is not a result of insufficient experimental studies, but rather insufficient characterization of those polymers which were studied.
Labor Market Institutions and Redistributive Voting

In the median-voter model of redistributive voting, an increase in the skewness of the income distribution will lead to more redistribution. Skewness is almost always assumed to be identical to inequality. But this will only be true under specific assumptions, and it is possible for an increase in inequality to be associated with a decrease in skewness. In general then, the relationship between inequality and skewness -- and therefore redistribution -- is ambiguous. This paper resolves this indeterminacy by introducing labor market frictions and labor market institutions into a redistributive voting framework. Under specific conditions, labor market institutions will lower inequality, but increase skewness -- and therefore redistribution. This novel result resolves a "paradox" of redistribution, challenges the prevailing interpretation of the median-voter model, and reconciles the empirical data with the basic logic of that model.
Chilling out: a cool aqueous environment promotes the formation of gas-surface complexes.

SO2, an important atmospheric pollutant, has been implicated in environmental phenomena such as acid rain, climate change, and cloud formation. In addition, SO2 is fundamentally interesting because it forms spectroscopically identifiable complexes with water at aqueous surfaces. Vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy (VSFS) is used here to further investigate the mechanism by which SO2 adsorbs to water at tropospherically relevant temperatures (0–23 °C). The spectral results lead to two important conclusions. SO2 surface affinity is enhanced at colder temperatures, with nearly all of the topmost water molecules showing evidence of binding to SO2 at 0 °C as compared to a much lower fraction at room temperature. This surface adsorption results in significant changes in water orientation at the surface, but is reversible at the temperatures examined here. Second, the SO2 complex formation at aqueous surfaces is independent of aqueous solution acidity. One challenge in previous uptake studies was the ability ...
Spacecraft Momentum Management and Attitude Control using a Receding Horizon Approach

This paper presents the application of the Receding Horizon approach to the spacecraft momentum management problem. Attitude control of a satellite in a circular orbit under the in∞uence of constant disturbances is considered. Control designs are demonstrated for a simplifled planar case as well as for the full dynamics of the spacecraft. The response of the receding horizon controller is compared to a controller derived from Lyapunov conditions. The receding horizon approach demonstrates its ability to align the spacecraft to a torque equilibrium attitude and regulate the momentum of the control even when torque and rate constraints are included in the problem. I. Introduction Spacecraft attitude control has been an important area of research and has received a large amount of attention. Spacecraft dynamics provide a rich area of research because their behavior is nonlinear and they are in many cases to operate over a large range of operating conditions. A common choice of actuators to control the satellite is the momentum exchange device. Momentum exchange devices such as control moment gyros (CMG’s) or reaction wheels maintain control of the satellite by transferring momentum from the spacecraft so that it follows a designed trajectory. If a constant disturbance such as an aerodynamic torque acts on the spacecraft, the momentum in the control can build up as result of the constant control torque required to reject the disturbance. These momentum exchange devices can be desaturated by the alignment of the spacecraft with a torque equilibrium attitude (TEA). When such an attitude is obtained, the gravity gradient torque and gyroscopic torques balance the disturbance torque to create an equilibrium attitude. No control input is required to maintain this attitude, allowing the momentum to desaturate. For a spacecraft in a
Surface-Initiated Polymerization from Barium Titanate Nanoparticles for Hybrid Dielectric Capacitors

A phosphonic acid is used as a surface initiator for the growth of polystyrene and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) from barium titanate (BTO) nanoparticles through atom transfer radical polymerization with activators regenerated by electron transfer. This results in the barium titanate cores embedded in the grafted polymer. The one-component system, PMMA-grafted-BTO, achieves a maximum extractable energy density of 2 J/cm3 at a field strength of ∼220 V/μm, which exhibits a 2-fold increase compared to that of the composite without covalent attachment or the neat polymer. Such materials have potential applications in hybrid capacitors due to the high permittivity of the nanoparticles and the high breakdown strength, mechanical flexibility, and ease of processability due to the organic polymer. The synthesis, processing, characterization, and testing of the materials in capacitors are discussed.
Application of Continuous Integration and Automated Testing in Development of Power Marketing System for State Grid Corporation of China

Through the practical experience of agile development,i.e.,the continuous integration and automated testing,and combining with present situation of the project team of power marketing system of State Grid Corp.of China,the development approach suitable to project development team is researched to improve current development mode and testing process as well as to solve the defects due to traditional development modes,that is,low productivity,uncontrollable software quality,delay in the delivery of the developed software and high maintenance cost in later period.By means of the practice of agile development,the working efficiency,product quality and management efficacy are overall improved.
Dynamic evolution method for embedded systems

Concerning the dynamic evolution and QoS requirement problems of embedded application systems,an embedded component model-ESIM model was outlined.The dynamic evolution method of the ESIM model was discussed,including the evolution strategy and process,and the discussion stressed the check of the dynamic evolution request according to the QoS layer contract,the evolution contract and the resource consumption information.Simulation results show that the dynamic evolution system of the ESIM is better for solving the state transmission,resources occupation and real-time ability problems,as the duration and resource consumption of the evolution are predictable.
Arachidonic acid increases cholinergic secretory responsiveness of ferret tracheal glands

The purpose of this study was to determine if arachidonic acid could alter ferret tracheal gland secretory responsiveness to a cholinergic agonist. We prepared glandular explants and incubated the explants in medium containing [3H]glucosamine. Secretory responsiveness was expressed as the percent change in basal secretion of acid-precipitable [3H]glucosamine-labeled glycoconjugates induced by the addition of agonist with and without arachidonic acid [mean +/- SE (n)]. Addition of 10(-3) M arachidonic acid caused a significant increase in secretion [28 +/- 6% (n = 6)] compared with untreated control tissues [-10 +/- 4% (n = 7), P less than or equal to 0.05]. Carbachol (10(-7) M) increased secretion 39 +/- 9% (n = 7). The combination of 10(-3) M arachidonic acid and 10(-7) M carbachol elicited a significantly greater change in secretion compared with either agent alone [173 +/- 50% (n = 5)]. The addition of nordihydroguaiaretic acid (10(-6) M) or indomethacin (10(-6) M) partially attenuated the arachidonic acid-enhanced secretory responsiveness to carbachol. Treatment with both blockers completely inhibited the arachidonic acid-enhanced secretory responsiveness to carbachol. The effect of arachidonic acid on cholinergic stimulation was also abolished by treating the explant cultures with tetrodotoxin (10(-7) M). This hypersecretory state is most likely mediated by eicosanoid-induced release of neurotransmitters from nerve terminals.
A comparison of ASR and human errors for transcription of non-native spontaneous speech

In this paper, we compare ASR and human transcriptions of non-native speech to investigate to what extent the accuracy and the patterns of errors of a modern ASR system match those of human listeners in the context of automated assessment of L2 English language proficiency. We obtained multiple naive transcriptions of short fragments of non-native spontaneous speech with different proficiency levels using crowdsourcing and matched these against the output of an ASR system. We compare WER and recall at the fragment level and consider human-ASR agreement at the word level. We find that we are able to attain a commensurate level of transcription quality using ASR, but the patterns of errors between the two groups differ at the word level.
The management of high-risk pregnancies. An evaluation of estriol determinations.

An evaluation regarding the use of estriol in high-risk pregnancy is presented. The management of normal, toxemic, and diabetic patients is reviewed. The value of estriol in postterm pregnancies is also emphasized.
“Constant Capacity,” DSP Architecture—An Historical Perspective

One may attribute the dawn of modern signal processing to Wiener [1,2]. The mathematical foundation of generalized harmonic analysis and time series analysis were well established before and during World War II. The notion of computing and its relationship to communications and controls were advanced in [3]. The basic algorithms for spectrum analysis, convolution and correlation have remained time invariant. Mathematicians, engineers, architects, and component technologists have exerted positive influences upon one another, and progress in one community has affected the choice in another for a signal processing solution at a given instance. Processing algorithms may dictate a system architecture under certain component technology assumptions which may in turn render that algorithm invalid. In such a dynamic environment, evolution of signal processing systems only represent the fittest (or best) choices at that instance. From a historical perspective, one should always examine the reasons why, by observing ho, the evolution has taken place. Lessons can be learned from past mistakes. Old algorithms may work very well with new technologies.
Pulmonary Resection in Patients with Impaired Pulmonary Function

Careful preoperative evaluation of pulmonary function and preoperative preparation permit the selection of patients with impaired pulmonary function who should have an acceptable morbidity and mortality after pulmonary resection. Optimal anesthetic management, surgical procedures adapted to the individual patient, and effective postoperative care allow a large percentage of these patients to have definitive surgery.
What We Talk About When We Talk About Sex

Defining sex is a critical move in theorizing technosex and developing an ethical framework for its analysis. This chapter addresses the history of conceptions of sex, moving from Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalytic theories to feminist and queer approaches that recognize both sexuality and gender as culturally constituted and performative rather than as purely corporeal epiphenomena. But sexuality derives from the body; as the body is in flux, so too is sexuality. Sexual experiences and identities are mutually imbricated. The socially marked body mobilizes different experiences according to the meanings of its marking. Both markings and meanings are generated via representation; Moira Gatens notes that our “sexual imaginaries” comprise the “images, symbols, metaphors and representations which help construct various forms of subjectivity.” This imagery, circulated via media technologies, becomes a kind of sex education that constitutes our sexual practices and our sexual selves.
Cherokee Medicine, Colonial Germs: An Indigenous Nation’s Fight against Smallpox, 1518–1824. By Paul Kelton

Cherokee Medicine, Colonial Germs: An Indigenous Nation’s Fight against Smallpox, 1518–1824 . New Directions in Native American Studies Series. By Paul Kelton. (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2015. xiv + 281 pp. Illustrations, maps, chart, notes, bibliography, index. $29.95.) In 1857 an elderly Tennessee man named John Carr wrote in his memoirs about a smallpox outbreak seventy-seven years earlier, when a group of Cherokee warriors captured a boat full of ailing settlers on the Tennessee River. The Cherokees, Carr wrote, paid for their capture with an epidemic and paid more heavily when they treated the fever with sweats and bathing. Carr’s version of the familiar story of indigenous peoples’ exposure to new diseases, incompetent treatment, and seemingly inevitable decline as a result of germs, made its …
3D image segmentation based on feature-sensitive and adaptive tetrahedral meshes

In this paper, a tetrahedral mesh-based approach is investigated for 3D image segmentation on a given image volume. We present a series of algorithms to generate high quality, feature-sensitive, and adaptive meshes to partition a 3D volume, where the 3D Canny edge detector is utilized to preserve important feature boundaries in the generated tetrahedral mesh. Each cluster of voxels within a tetrahedron is called a supervoxel, which is treated as a node in a graph and weighted edges are formed between adjacent tetrahedra (or supervoxels). A graph cut method is then applied on the weighted graph to partition the tetrahedral mesh, resulting in a segmentation of the original image volume. Thanks to the significantly reduced number of elements (supervoxels) as compared to that of voxels in a 3D image volume, the supervoxel-based segmentation method has tremendously improved the segmentation speed. In addition, the segmented image feature is naturally composed of high-quality, adaptive tetrahedral mesh that can be readily used for finite element analysis without further post-generation of tetrahedral mesh.
A timely matter

An encounter between Henri Bergson and Albert Einstein reveals much about the conflict between the humanities and the sciences, says Robert P Crease.
Mining Novel Knowledge from Biomedical Literature using Statistical Measures and Domain Knowledge

The massive and unprecedented volume of scientific literature readily available in the domain of biomedicine has presented us with challenges and opportunities to accelerate hypothesis generation. Advanced text mining techniques are required to leverage this abundant textual representation in order to provide timely access to explicit facts and aid in elucidating association among implicit facts. The problem of inferring novel knowledge from these implicit facts by logically connecting independent fragments of literature is known as Literature Based Discovery(LBD). In LBD, to discover hidden links, it is important to determine the relevancy between concepts using appropriate information measures. In this paper, to discover interesting and inherent links latent in large corpora, nine distinct methods, comprising variants of statistical information measures and derived semantic knowledge from domain ontology, are designed and compared. For better understanding of results, we split methods into three groups. The first group includes traditional information measures such as Mutual information, Chi-Square and those used in association rule mining; the second group incorporates popular null-invariant correlation measures: All_Confidence, Kulczynski, and Cosine; the third group consists of null-invariant measures combined with our proposed notion of semantic relatedness. We have also proposed a new strategy of effective preprocessing, which is capable of removing terms that are spurious, semantically unrelated or have meager chances of constituting a new discovery. A series of experiments are performed and analyzed for those proposed methods. In addition, we also provide an organized list of final concepts deemed worthy of scientific investigation or experimentation. Overall, our research presents a comprehensive analysis and perspective of how different statistical information measures and semantic knowledge affect the knowledge discovery procedure.
Establishing trust in remotely reprogrammable systems

Remote reprogrammability can serve as a powerful and enabling tool, allowing widespread and rapid evolution of cyber-physical systems. Together with the effects of ever increasing automation, this tool is redefining the relationship between the designer, user, and their methods of interaction with the system. The cost of these advancements is a series of new challenges in terms of safety and security. This paper describes the need for a formal framework in which safety, performance, and all operational modes of the system can be described and analyzed efficiently. An approach to establishing trustworthiness of cyber-physical systems that allows for automated and efficient verification of the system is considered in the context of a concrete implementation.
Quantitative Approaches to Group Research: Suggestions for Best Practices.

Rigorous scholarship is essential to the continued growth of group work, yet the unique nature of this counseling specialty poses challenges for quantitative researchers. The purpose of this proposal is to overview unique challenges to quantitative research with groups in the counseling field, including difficulty in obtaining large sample sizes and the violation of the independence assumption. Current practice is illustrated by referencing recent quantitative research in The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, and recommendations are provided for best practices in designing, analyzing, and reporting quantitative research.
Attack of the killer microseconds

Microsecond-scale I/O means tension between performance and productivity that will need new latency-mitigating ideas, including in hardware.
Insulin secretion by isolated islets of alloxan diabetic rats

Glucose-induced insulin secretion was studied in isolated pancreatic islets of alloxan diabetic rats by using a perifusion system. The total recovery of isolated islets from one to twelve week alloxan diabetic rats is 1/4 to 1/7 that of the controls. Insulin secretion by alloxan diabetic rat islets progressively diminishes with time after alloxan injection. The individual isolated islet gives insulin secretion of 54%, 27%, 15% and 19% of the controls at one, two, four and twelve weeks respectively. The estimated total insulin secretion by all of the isolated islets from each pancreas is 11.0%, 5.4%, 3.1% and 2.8% of the controls by the one, two, four and twelve week alloxan diabetic rats. These results indicate beta cell loss is progressive with time until four weeks after alloxan injection when glucose-induced insulin secretion is characterized by a flat hyporesponsive curve indicative of completely deficient insulin secretion.
EM-Field Inertia

We turn to the study of the energy-mass equivalent locked in the electromagnetic (EM)-field distribution, introducing the dynamical equations that describe the combined dynamics of EM-fields and particles. We show that the energy locked in the particle generated field is a part of particle inertial mass. The reality of a delocalized EM part of inertial mass is demonstrated by considering EM-fields of atomic nuclei. We introduce the quantum delocalization of the classical point-particle in order to estimate electron electromagnetic mass component. We consider also the limiting field non-linear Born-Infeld (BI) modification of Maxwell theory with a finite point-particle EM-field energy. We note that in BI-EM there is a limit to the strength of the EM-fields, and thus a limit to the strength of the force that we can impart on a particle: there is a maximum acceleration.
My surgical elective in the US

As a medical student, Gentle Wong may not appreciate the value of working longer hours in experiential specialties such as surgery, where reading, lectures, wetlabs, and other learning opportunities can supplement but not …
Calm in the Storm: Leading with Patience

In recent years, leadership issues related to ethics (and, most prominently, ethical failures) have been frequently drawn into the public spotlight. Concurrently, leadership research has shifted toward virtue-based theories and the consideration of leader character. Although patience has been rarely discussed in the context of leadership, the important of patience can be understood considering its role as a virtue. The virtue of patience describes a condition of tranquility while waiting for an outcome or persevering under provocation. Although patience can perhaps most clearly be exemplified in the Judeo-Christian context as the characteristic of a God that did not abandon His people despite their frequent disloyal treatment of Him, this virtue can be a powerful tool for proactive, rather than reactive, leaders. This chapter considers a biblical understanding of patience and how this characteristic can be incorporated into modern leadership contexts.
Phylogenetic Aspects of Immunity

Publisher Summary This chapter presents an overview of the workshop highlighting phylogenetic aspects of immunity. A broad range of current research in immunologic phylogeny was considered by some 65 participants under six major headings. The chapter highlights that the long-held assumption that invertebrates in general completely lack specific, vertebrate-type immunocompetence has been disproved by various investigators in diverse phylums. Indeed, the essential origins of immunologic reactivity may soon be discerned among invertebrates. Both allograft and xenograft rejection, usually chronic but some times more rapid, are already demonstrable in coelenterates, although involvement of an immunological system at this low level of phylogeny is questionable. Specific transplantation immunity accompanied by at least short-term memory has been repeatedly found in annelid worms. This capacity is associated with development of cellular immunity inherent in a population of coelomocytes which includes both macrophages and small lymphocyte-type cells. The chapter also highlights that hagfish and lampreys, though most primitive among vertebrates, appear to be as highly evolved as other fishes below the teleost level in essential immunological capacities. They consistently reject skin allografts with concomitant immunological memory and produce IgM-type antibodies to both soluble and particulate antigens.
The Effect of Student Perception of Campus Climate for Diversity and Inclusion on Overall University Experience: A Race/Ethnicity Comparison Study

Diversity and inclusion are critical factors that help us determine the strength of an institution’s campus climate. In order to accurately examine underrepresented students’ experiences, we must measure where, when and how a given institution champions diversity and inclusion. It is not only necessary for universities to track the number of students on campus from underrepresented groups, but they should also be fully aware of the necessity to provide a climate of inclusiveness at their institution. For this chapter, the authors used the 2016 Student Experiences in the Research University (SERU) survey to explore students’ perception of respect towards their race on campus, students’ satisfaction with campus climate for diversity, and the relationship between these factors and students’ overall satisfaction with their educational experience.
Commonly Initiated Opioids and Risk of Fracture Hospitalizations in United States Nursing Homes

The aim of this study was to estimate the comparative safety of initiating commonly used opioids among older, long-stay United States nursing home residents with fracture hospitalizations. We conducted a new-user retrospective cohort study of nursing home residents initiating short-acting oxycodone, hydrocodone, or tramadol by merging the 2011–2013 Minimum Data Set 3.0 to Medicare hospitalization and pharmacy claims. Residents (≥ 65 years, no cancer or hospice use) contributed treatment episodes (> 120 days with no prior opioid claims) and were followed for 180 days until incident fracture hospitalization (hip, femur, humerus, pelvis, radius/ulna), death (competing risk), treatment changes (e.g., discontinuation), or administrative censoring. Competing risks models with inverse probability of treatment weighting were used to estimate subdistribution hazard ratios (HRSD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Overall, 110,862 residents contributed 134,432 treatment episodes: 14,373 oxycodone; 69,182 hydrocodone; and 50,877 tramadol initiators. The incidences of fracture hospitalizations per 100 person-years were 9.4 (95% CI 7.5–11.7) for oxycodone, 7.9 (95% CI 7.1–8.8) for hydrocodone, and 5.0 (95% CI 4.3–5.7) for tramadol initiators. In weighted models, oxycodone initiators had a similar rate of fractures to hydrocodone initiators (HRSD 1.08, 95% CI 0.79–1.48). Tramadol initiators had lower fracture rates than hydrocodone initiators (HRSD 0.67, 95% CI 0.56–0.80). The lower rate of fractures that we documented among tramadol initiators compared with hydrocodone initiators is consistent, albeit attenuated compared with prior studies among community-dwelling older adults. However, overall fracture rates were lower than in community settings, potentially due to the limited risk of falling in this population with limited mobility.
Ocular and Oral Complications

Ocular complications in HSCT patients include both ocular GVHD- and non-GVHD-related late effects which, if left untreated, can lead to blindness.
“I Couldn't Just Sit There”: Leadership Learning Through Activism

This chapter explores the meaning one high school student and parent/educator make of the concepts of identity, leadership, and activism.
Evolution of Anesthesia for Pediatric Airway Surgery: From Ether to TIVA and Current Controversies

The practice of pediatric anesthesia, especially when performed for pediatric airway disorders, has evolved remarkably over the past century. This chapter will cover the interesting story of the evolution of anesthesia beginning with ether and later development of mask, endotracheal tube, LMA and TIVA, and current state of the art and highlight current areas of controversy regarding pediatric airway management.