cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Highlights from the STAR experiment

Abstract The STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) studies properties and phase transitions of nuclear matter in various nucleus-nucleus collisions at center-of-mass energies per nucleon collision s N N = 7.7 - 200 GeV . With a fixed target made of gold foils installed inside the beam pipe, STAR also starts to explore high baryon density regime ( μ B ≈ 420 - 720 MeV ) at s N N = 3.0 - 7.7 GeV . A few selected results reported by the STAR collaboration at the Quark Matter 2018 (QM2018) conference are described in these proceedings.
Quantification of Energy Cost Savings through Optimization and Control of Appliances within Smart Neighborhood Homes

Electric utilities are driving towards enabling automatic scheduling and control of the consumption pattern of appliances such as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and water heater (WH) systems (e.g., through preheating and pre-cooling, etc.) within smart neighborhoods to minimize energy cost and peak load demand. Quantifying economic savings through direct comparison of the optimized energy usage profile on a specific day with the typical non-optimized usage profile on another day is not a fair comparison because energy usage highly depends on weather conditions and human behaviour especially appliance like HVAC on those days. In this paper, we propose a novel approach of identifying similar weather day pairs which can then be used to compare the energy use profiles within homes between the identified pairs. We then demonstrate how the proposed approach can be used to compute cost savings due to optimization and control of smart appliances at home and neighborhood-level within a future-focused smart neighborhood of 62 residential homes. We also demonstrate a simulation based approach to quantify cost savings and showcase our findings through customized and interactive visualizations.
Human rights, sanitation, and sewers

The human rights that are enshrined in most western democracies are based on enlightenment ideals of freedom, equality, and justice. Although these core principles are inspirational, their application has not necessarily been equitable or complete enough to provide for the stability, safety, health, and security of all citizens. A more modern understanding of human rights encompasses that which is needed to establish human flourishing, including guaranteed access to water, particularly the clean water provided by adequate sanitation. Without confidence in broad safety and health, and established norms for individual protections, it is difficult for a society to be stable and flourish. Although this argument begins with political philosophy, it ends with a case study in Alabama, one of the poorest states in the United States. This study evaluates the dysfunction caused to local communities and greater society when governmental organizations fail to provide sanitation and guarantee public health for their communities.
Tumor/normal genomic profiling in patients with metastatic solid tumors identifies pathogenic germline variants of therapeutic importance.

1501Background: Tumor molecular profiling via next-generation sequencing (NGS) is routinely utilized to direct patients toward clinical trials of targeted therapeutics. NGS testing of paired tumor/...
The carboxyl termini of RAN translated GGGGCC nucleotide repeat expansions modulate toxicity in models of ALS/FTD

An intronic hexanucleotide repeat expansion in C9ORF72 causes familial and sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). This repeat is thought to elicit toxicity through RNA mediated protein sequestration and repeat-associated non-AUG (RAN) translation of dipeptide repeat proteins (DPRs). We generated a series of transgenic Drosophila models expressing GGGGCC (G4C2) repeats either inside of an artificial intron within a GFP reporter or within the 5′ untranslated region (UTR) of GFP placed in different downstream reading frames. Expression of 484 intronic repeats elicited minimal alterations in eye morphology, viability, longevity, or larval crawling but did trigger RNA foci formation, consistent with prior reports. In contrast, insertion of repeats into the 5′ UTR elicited differential toxicity that was dependent on the reading frame of GFP relative to the repeat. Greater toxicity correlated with a short and unstructured carboxyl terminus (C-terminus) in the glycine-arginine (GR) RAN protein reading frame. This change in C-terminal sequence triggered nuclear accumulation of all three RAN DPRs. A similar differential toxicity and dependence on the GR C-terminus was observed when repeats were expressed in rodent neurons. The presence of the native C-termini across all three reading frames was partly protective. Taken together, these findings suggest that C-terminal sequences outside of the repeat region may alter the behavior and toxicity of dipeptide repeat proteins derived from GGGGCC repeats.
Factors Associated with Readmissions in Infants Following Congenital Heart Surgery

Purpose: Hospital readmission rates are increasingly utilized as a benchmark for care quality and value. Patients with congenital heart disease are at an increased risk for hospital readmission. To date, there is a paucity of data that specifically explores factors associated with unplanned readmissions following congenital heart surgery. This investigation aims to characterize variables associated with unplanned readmissions for infants who have undergone surgical repair of congenital heart defects in order to identify specific areas ripe for quality improvement …
Designing Everyday Conversational Agents for Managing Health and Wellness: A Study of Alexa Skills Reviews

Conversational agents have been developed for supporting a wide array of areas, including autonomous vehicles, decision making, and health behavior change. In the last few years, conversational agents increasingly became available as everyday technologies. This phenomenon enables opportunities for finding novel ways to support health and wellness in everyday contexts. By conducting a content analysis of 433 user reviews of Amazon Alexa's Skills, the goal of this study is two-fold: (1) Extract users' perceived strengths of conversational agents in everyday health and wellness management, (2) develop design heuristics for developing conversational agents for health and wellness. We found that the role of trustworthy content providers is critical during the adoption. The Skills enabled people to overcome logistical barriers to improving daily health and wellness routines. The findings also revealed the importance of transparency in the limitations of the Skill and how to better design command dialogues. We present the design heuristics of conversational agents, building on Nielsen's Usability Heuristics, and discuss implications for designing conversational agents that support health and wellness.
The Digital (De)territorialization of Ladino in the Twenty-First Century

Since the nineteenth century, the global diasporic community of Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) speakers has enjoyed a number of opportunities to reclaim a territory for itself (Spain, Portugal, Israel). De...
Assessing the Limitations from the Best Available Justification for Sovereignty

The discussion now turns to identifying and assessing the limits to the legitimate zone of sovereign discretion implied by the best available moral justification for state sovereignty. The underlying approach involves a methodology comprised of two distinct, but interrelated, steps. To begin, it is necessary to identify the best available moral justification for sovereignty. Only then are we able to embark upon the second step and assess the limits to the legitimate zone of sovereign discretion implied by that justification.
The Impact of OTT on Preferences for Mobile Services: A Conjoint Analysis of Users in Nigeria

Although mobile phone subscription rates in Nigeria have grown significantly since its inception in the early 2000s, over half of the population remains unconnected. As the focus of governments and mobile carriers shift to driving Internet adoption, mobile phones serving as a facilitating condition for traditional and OTT services could have multiple implications. Using conjoint analysis, this paper presents evidence that access to OTT services has a positive impact on mobile phone adoption. In Nigeria, mobile users are significantly more likely to use OTT services than voice/text and are willing to pay more for Internet services, in general, than voice/text.
Dominance in Dental Morphological Traits: Implications for Biological Distance Studies

Dental traits are commonly used in biological distance studies; several are used in forensic ancestry estimation. Such studies assume equal and additive inheritance of traits. Hispanic New Mexicans primarily descend from Europeans and Native Americans. South Florida Hispanics are primarily of African and European ancestry, with a small Native American component. However, previous research has shown that dental morphology in New Mexican and South Floridian Hispanics is not discernibly different. Nonadditive genetic variation, including dominance in dental trait expression, may provide one explanation for this phenomenon. We compared frequencies of 48 dental traits in Hispanics from California, Florida, New Mexico, and New York (n = 454) to expected values computed from ancestry-informative markers in ancestral populations (n = 1025) and genetic admixture estimates. Observations deviated from expected frequencies in every group (p < .001). Trait expressions are higher than expected in Florida, New Mexico, and New York samples, causing an overestimation of Native American affinity in admixed groups.
Fits and Starts for Mandatory Arbitration

Mandatory arbitration is in the legal news almost daily. Whether it is a dispute among condominium owners regarding repairs in Bell Tower Condominium Ass’n v. Haffert, 1 cell phone add-ons that reached the Supreme Court in AT&T Mobility LLC v. Concepcion, 2 landlord-tenant disputes, partnership disputes, and of course traditional employment disputes, among others, a significant concern is the potential diminution of rights and remedies. However, those concerns can be ameliorated by an arbitration agreement as well as through the scope of authority of arbitrators. The ABA Litigation Journal recently had a discussion on the expansive/expensive process of arbitration and proposed methods of curtailing this process. 3
Spacial and Temporal Chaos in Elastic Continua

Preliminary experiments on the interaction of nonlinear impact oscillators and linear elastic continua such as strings and elastic plates provide evidence for spacial complexity in the elastic medium akin to spacial chaos. These models may also be paradigms for understanding deterministic sources of machine noise.
Council and Hierarchy: THE ADVENT OF THE PRINCE

It is not unheard of that bishops and even more exalted dignitaries are sometimes reported to the Apostolic See and their deeds subjected to its judgment. John XXII When the council of Vienne was over William Durant the Younger found himself in a precarious position. He had launched an attack on papal government whose viability depended upon a fortuitous combination of circumstances beyond his control that had quickly passed away. Whereas Pope Clement V had regained a position from which the plenitude of power could be exercised with confidence, his own project of restoring hierarchy through councils had miscarried. The justice on which, as he believed, it had been founded was now a justice without weight. In this way the seeds of William Durant the Younger's decline were sown. But that did not become apparent until some years thereafter. The disagreement with Clement may have been deep in principle – and we can only guess how deep – but it was manifested only briefly. Soon after the council was over Clement granted Durant a number of favours. While this was only a common courtesy which was also bestowed on other participants in the council, it does indicate that their relationship had not been disturbed in any lasting way. These were also the years when his local opponents were finally and decisively subjected to his control, while his association with the monarchy was blossoming.
Measurement of icosanoid precursor uptake and release by intact cells

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the assay for arachidonyl–coenzyme A (CoA) synthetase, assays for the uptake of fatty acid by platelets and cultured cells, an isotopic assay for arachidonate release, and a method for determining the conversion of linoleate to arachidonate by intact cells. Arachidonate uptake can be assayed as radioactivity appearing in platelet phospholipids after incubation with radiolabeled arachidonate. In experiments involving the incubation of platelets with arachidonate for 5 min or more, over 90% of arachidonate in extracted platelet pellets is in phospholipids. Thus, uptake into platelets can be determined without the repeated washing of the cells to remove trapped free arachidonate. The chapter discusses adherent tissue cultured cell. Cells are added to culture dishes and allowed to become adherent to the surface of the dish. At some point after the cells become adherent, the medium is removed and the cells rinsed twice with incubation buffer at 37°. The chapter also illustrates agonist-induced arachidonate release by adherent tissue–cultured cells.
The Linear Programming Problem

Linear programming is the problem of optimizing a linear function subject to finitely many linear constraints in finitely many variables. The standard form of the linear programming problem is $$ \min \left\{ {cx:Ax = b,x \geqslant 0} \right\} $$ for data c e ℝn, A ℝmxn and b e ℝm satisfying that the rank of A equals its row rank, i.e., r(A) = m, whereas the canonical form of a linear program is $$ \max \left\{ {cx:Ax \leqslant b,x \geqslant 0} \right\} $$ with (possibly different) data c \( \in \mathbb{R}^{n'} ,A \in \mathbb{R}^{m' \times n'} and b \in \mathbb{R}^{m'} \). Replacing equations by two inequalities and “free” variables, i.e., variables x j not restricted in sign, by the difference of two nonnegative variables x j = x j + - x j - where x j + ≥ 0 and x j - ≥ 0, by adding slack and/or surplus variables, etc ., any linear program can be brought into either the standard or the canonical form. E.g. by bringing the linear programming problem first into canonical form and then adding slack variables, one obtains a linear program in standard form , t.e., one can indeed assume WROG (=without restriction of generality) that the rank of the constraint matrix A of the linear program in standard form equals its row rank. Apart from the first exercise, which is a pure drilling problem and the answers to which should be obvious to anyone having read the material of Chapter 2 of the book, the other exercises of this chapter are meant to elucidate the importance of inequalities and the usefulness of linear programming in data analysis.
The Geometry of Lecture Hall Partitions and Quadratic Permutation Statistics

We take a geometric view of lecture hall partitions and anti-lecture hall compositions in order to settle some open questions about their enumeration. In the process, we discover an intrinsic connection between these families of partitions and certain quadratic permutation statistics. We define some unusual quadratic permutation statistics and derive results about their joint distributions with linear statistics. We show that certain specializations are equivalent to the lecture hall and anti-lecture hall theorems and another leads back to a special case of a Weyl group generating function that "ought to be better known.''
Saving Section 2: Reframing U.S.Monopolization Law

Antitrust law has three main targets—collusion, mergers, and monopolization. The first two are relatively uncontroversial targets. While facts and theories in specific cases may be disputed, the overall rationales for these doctrines are widely accepted. Monopolization law, originating in Section 2 of the 1890 Sherman Act, is notoriously different. Unlike other branches of antitrust, which target decisions by firms not to compete with each other, monopolization is portrayed as a dominant firm protecting itself by harming nascent rivals. Since competition—offering more and better products at lower prices—also harms rivals, antitrust observers fall into two warring camps. Skeptics argue that because monopolization is likely to be confused with competition that could benefit consumers, Section 2 cases should bear very high burdens of proof. Activists, on the other hand, believe that one can protect competition by protecting some competitors against the actions of another. The focus on protecting rivals has also led to legal requirements that make little economic sense. One, prior dominance, paradoxically asserts that one cannot monopolize without already having a monopoly. This conflates the nature of the offender with the nature of the offense and undercuts claims that alleged abuses have competitive relevance. Another, profit sacrifice, states that practices cannot be anticompetitive unless they cause the perpetrator short-run losses. This requirement, confusing intent with effect, is neither necessary nor sufficient for economic harm. No one would argue that mergers or collusion should be stopped only if those undertaking them were losing money. We could avoid spurious requirements and limit controversy by recasting monopolization law to make it more like collusion and merger law. This entails focus not on rivals but on monopolization of otherwise competitive complementary markets, e.g., in production inputs, distribution channels, or retail outlets. Complementary market monopolization (CMM) is necessary and sufficient for anticompetitive harm. This focus would allow courts to eliminate dubious requirements and adopt widely accepted tools from other areas of antitrust, e.g., merger guidelines. CMM provides a way to assess exclusionary tactics such as bundled discounts and predatory pricing, bringing to light important and neglected differences between cases regarding direct harms and those based on indirect strategic effects. Moving to CMM could be effected by deleting “or maintain” from the “create or maintain a monopoly” definition of monopolization in Section 2 law.
Studies on Termination of in Vitro Ribonucleic Acid Synthesis by Rho Factor

The mechanism of action of the protein rho (ρ) in DNA-dependent RNA synthesis has been examined. While ρ can interact with DNA to form a protein-DNA complex, detailed studies of this interaction suggest that this is not the mode of action of ρ. ρ appears to interact with Escherichia coli RNA polymerase at specific DNA sites leading to the formation of RNA chains of well defined length. RNA chains synthesized in the presence or absence of ρ predominantly have uridine at their 3′-hydroxyl terminus. ρ does not affect the size of RNA chains synthesized by the T7-induced RNA polymerase. ρ acts catalytically affecting many E. coli RNA polymerase molecules and is not tightly bound in a complex. The effect of ρ can be observed on RNA chains nearly three-quarters complete, further indicating that ρ alters the growth of RNA chains at specific DNA sites. After the release of RNA chains from the RNA polymerase-DNA complex, RNA polymerase remains attached to DNA in a nonactive state. The enzyme can be released from this sequestered form by increasing the ionic strength of the reaction medium.
Ensemble SWLDA Classifiers for the P300 Speller

The P300 Speller has proven to be an effective paradigm for brain-computer interface (BCI) communication. Using this paradigm, studies have shown that a simple linear classifier can perform as well as more complex nonlinear classifiers. Several studies have examined methods such as Fisher's Linear Discriminant (FLD), Stepwise Linear Discriminant Analysis (SWLDA), and Support Vector Machines (SVM) for training a linear classifier in this context. Overall, the results indicate marginal performance differences between classifiers trained using these methods. It has been shown that, by using an ensemble of linear classifiers trained on independent data, performance can be further improved because this scheme can better compensate for response variability. The present study evaluates several offline implementations of ensemble SWLDA classifiers for the P300 speller and compares the results to a single SWLDA classifier for seven able-bodied subjects.
Verbal Response Times to Directional Traffic Signs Embedded in Photographic Street Scenes

Response times to left and right directional street signs, embedded in photographic street scenes, were measured. Department of Transportation directional signs were photographically inserted on both the left and right side of the road. Both permissive and prohibitive street signs were used. The effect of field dependence, sex, street scene background complexity, and sign type were of interest. The street scene stimuli were presented briefly (180 ms) using a tachistoscope; subjects' verbal response times were measured. Mean response times for men and women did not differ significantly. Field dependence was significantly correlated with response time. Response times increased significantly as the street scene background was made more complex. Prohibitive word signs resulted in the fastest response times.
It will be too late for Congress to act after Bioterrorism attack is launched

Shortly after September 11, Professor Sutton warned that the Federal government needs to take a proactive approach to prevent and possibly respond to bioterrorist attacks by creating the appropriate infrastructure.
EWOC 2.0: Interactive Software for Dose Escalation in Cancer Phase I Clinical Trials

Escalation With Overdose Control (EWOC) version 2.0 is a publicly available freeware that uses Bayesian methods in a dose escalation scheme to assign dose levels sequentially to patients in cancer phase I clinical trials. The methodology is based on the optimal Bayesian-feasible procedure, which is designed to approach the maximum tolerated dose as fast as possible while controlling the probability of overdosing patients. This article describes the methodology as well as the development of the application program. Features of EWOC 2.0 are demonstrated.
On adaptive implementation of optimum MTI in severely nonhomogeneous environments

The problem of achieving the optimum MTI (moving target indicator) detection performance in strong clutter of unknown spectrum when the set of data available for the estimation of clutter statistics is small due to a severely nonhomogeneous environment is studied. A new adaptive implementation, called the Doppler domain localized generalized likelihood ratio processor (DDL-GLR), is proposed, and its detection performance derived. It is shown that the DDL-GLR is a data-efficient implementation of the high-order optimum detector, and that it has several advantages of practical importance over other adaptive processors. >
General response functions to silvicultural treatments in loblolly pine plantations

Forest growth and yield models that incorporate common silvicultural practices are essential for practicing intensive forest management. We present models for growth response to a wide range of silvicultural treatments in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations. Baseline models for basal area, dominant height, and survival were fitted using data from across the southeastern United States. Growth models for treated stands were developed by multiplying baseline models with modifier response functions accounting for effects of thinning, fertilization, and control of competing vegetation. Response to early control of competing vegetation was incorporated into baseline models through multiplier factors that were calculated from growth differences between treated and untreated stands. The thinning response function included duration and rate parameters and was sensitive to stand age at the time of thinning, time since thinning, and intensity of thinning. Fertilization response functions were based on the Wei...
Assessment of chemotherapy-induced anemia in children with cancer

Anemia is a common cause of co-morbidity in children with cancer. We reviewed a series of 124 children with non-metastatic cancer to assess the relationship between chemotherapy intensity, severe anemia, and frequency of transfusion. In more than 60% of children who received intensive chemotherapy, transfusions were prescribed compared to 38% and 21% of children treated with standard and mild chemotherapy, respectively. In conclusion, our data suggest that the intensity and duration of chemotherapy constitute important factors in determining the onset of anemia.
Evaluation of Levator Muscle Integrity in Ptosis with Levator Force Measurement

Purpose: To determine the efficacy of the force the levator muscle can generate as a diagnostic tool for ascertaining the cause of ptosis. Methods: A total of 187 patients with ptosis were evaluated clinically, their levator force was measured, and each ptotic eyelid subsequently had surgical correction. At each step, patients received a diagnosis of congenital or acquired (history-dependent) aponeurotic, myogenic, neurogenic, or mechanical ptosis. To measure the levator force, a clamp placed on the upper eyelid lashes was attached to a force transducer. The maximum force generated on upgaze was recorded as the levator force. Data from healthy subjects were used to determine whether each levator muscle of the ptotic eyelids produced normal or less than normal force. The correct diagnosis was considered to be the diagnosis based on the findings at the time of surgery. The diagnosis of each patient with ptosis determined by eyelid excursion, eyelid excursion plus examination, levator force, and the levator force plus examination results were compared with the correct diagnosis. Results: Eyelid excursion predicted the correct diagnosis 78.2% of the time. When eyelid excursion was combined with the examination results, the diagnosis was correct 84.0% of the time. Levator force predicted the correct diagnosis 95.2% of the time. When levator force was combined with the examination, the diagnosis was correct 97.9% of the time. Conclusion: Diagnosis of the cause of ptosis based on levator force measurement is significantly more accurate than when the diagnosis is based on eyelid excursion, even when information obtained on examination also is considered. Levator force measurement should be an integral part of ptosis evaluation.
Microstructural mechanisms during hot working of commercial grade Ti–6Al–4V with lamellar starting structure

Abstract The hot deformation behavior of commercial grade Ti–6Al–4V with a lamellar starting microstructure is studied in the temperature range 750–1100 °C and strain rate range 3×10 −4 –10 s −1 with a view to model the microstructural evolution. On the basis of flow stress data obtained as a function of temperature and strain rate in compression, a processing map for hot working has been developed. In the ranges 800–975 °C and 3×10 −4 –10 −2 s −1 , globularization of lamellae occurs for which an apparent activation energy of 455 kJ mol −1 has been estimated using the kinetic rate equation. Stress-dependent thermal activation analyses proposed by Schock and Cocks et al. have shown that the apparent activation energies are in the range 160–245 kJ mol −1 and the normalized activation volumes are in the range 20–80, which suggest that cross-slip is the rate controlling process during globularization. The variation of primary α grain size with Zener–Hollomon parameter ( Z ) in the globularization region exhibited a linear relationship on a log–log scale. At strain rates slower than 10 −1 s −1 and temperatures below 900 °C, cracking at the prior β grain boundaries/triple junctions occurs, which sets the lower limits for globularization. At strain rates higher than 10 −1 s −1 in the α+β range, the material exhibited flow instabilities manifested as adiabatic shear bands. These bands are intense below 800 °C and above 1 s −1 and caused cracking along the bands. In the β phase field, dynamic recrystallization (DRX) occurs at about 1100 °C and in the strain rate range 10 −3 –10 −1 s −1 . The apparent activation energy for DRX of β is about 172 kJ mol −1 which is close to that for self-diffusion in β phase (153 kJ mol −1 ). The application of these results in the design of bulk metalworking processes for achieving microstructural control is discussed.
The effects of occipital ablation on a conditioned visual avoidance learning task in young and old rats

Previous data indicate that learning of a conditioned visual avoidance task following simultaneous complete bilateral occipital ablations is affected by the age of the organism as well as the postoperative recovery period. The present study investigated the performance of the avoidance task, following complete occipital ablations, in young and older rats given two different recovery intervals. Young rats given 10 days to recover performed more poorly than the young control animals; given 20 days to recover, young rats performed comparable to controls. Older rats given 10 days to recover performed significantly better than the controls; given 20 days to recover, older rats did not show a decrease in performance. The present finding is consistent with previous data which show that the occipital cortex exerted an inhibitory effect on the learning ability of the avoidance task in older rats, which, upon removal, enhanced the performance of these rats on the task.
FORMATION AND CONTROL OF NO EMISSIONS FROM COAL-FIRED SPREADER-STOKER BOILERS

Stoker coal-fired furnaces are significant in terms of coal consumption and environmentalimpact; however, they have received little research attention. This paper describes the results of a study on the formation and control of nitrogen oxides in coal-fired spreader-stoker systems. Three scales of experimental equipment were used to define the evolution and oxidation of fuel nitrogen in the fuel suspension phase, the conversion of fuel nitrogen during fixed-bed combustion, and the coupling between the two combustion phases. The results indicate that NO emissions from spreader-stoker-fired coal furnaces are theresult of relatively high conversions of fuel nitrogen evolved from particles less than 0.1 inches in the suspension phase and low conversion of fuel nitrogen during the bed combustion. In the suspension phase, nitrogen is evolved at approximately the same rate as carbon is oxidized. Local oxygen availability is the primary control parameter for both phases of the combustion. Minimum overall fuel nitrogen conversions of 6 percent were achieved in the pilot scale facility by controlling the stoichiometry in both combustion zones.
‘The Whole Spirit of Modern Philanthropy’: The Construction of the Idea of Charity, 1912-1992

In this last decade of the twentieth century, taxpayers and politicians seem united in their disdain for the system of “public welfare” in the United States. At the same time, the idea of “private charity” is held in high regard; some observers argue that public welfare should be dismantled and replaced with private charity. A simple question leads this paper: How are the moralities of “private charity” discursively formed? Here I examine how the moralities of charity and its clients are produced through the texts of the New York Times “Neediest Cases” charity appeals from 1912 through 1992. I read these campaigns as producing multiple moralities: Charity is formed as a sacred morality of religion, an all but sacred morality of democratic community, an economic morality of individualistic capitalism, and a human morality of compassion. I argue that this multiplicity of moralities gives the idea of charity its political and rhetorical power. So the education in giving goes on from generation to generation. It is not merely the gift that counts or the help that is given the neediest; it is the acquainting of the families year after year, as children grow into youth and youth into manhood and womanhood, with the conditions about them and the cultivation of the habit of giving. (New York Times 1937g)
Nature and the city: a co-evolutionary project

AbstractArchitects who understand the need to build enduringly are faced with the almost complete absence of international agreements with respect to a planetary ecological project. The coming environmental changes will probably occur long before the small measures that can be implemented by some building industries on a regional level have even the slightest effect. Meanwhile, the health of the planet in positive feedback. Any project that aims for a wise ecological dwelling on this planet needs to consider short-term sustainable measures in comparison with long-term enduring practices. Might schools of thoughts such as traditional architecture, Gaia theory, Earth System Science, deep ecology, eco-feminism, converge on a co-evolutionary partnership between the natural and the human?
The Relation of Cultural Mistrust and Psychological Health

The relation between cultural mistrust and psychological health was examined using a sample of 125 African American students. Results did not support the notion that mistrust of Whites is psychologically healthy but suggested that a moderate amount of trust of Whites is related to perceptions of personal well-being. La relacion entre la descofianza cultural y la salud psicologica se examino utilizando una muestra de 125 estudiantes Americanos Africanos. Los resultados no sostuvieron la nocion que la desconfianza de los Blancos es psicologicamente sana pero sugirio que una cantidad moderada de la desconfianza de los Blancos es relacionada a percepciones del bienestar personal.
Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Catalysis from Chemically Exfoliated Metallic MoS2 Nanosheets

Promising catalytic activity from molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is attributed to active sites located along the edges of its two-dimensional layered crystal structure, but its performance is currently limited by the density and reactivity of active sites, poor electrical transport, and inefficient electrical contact to the catalyst. Here we report dramatically enhanced HER catalysis (an electrocatalytic current density of 10 mA/cm2 at a low overpotential of −187 mV vs RHE and a Tafel slope of 43 mV/decade) from metallic nanosheets of 1T-MoS2 chemically exfoliated via lithium intercalation from semiconducting 2H-MoS2 nanostructures grown directly on graphite. Structural characterization and electrochemical studies confirmed that the nanosheets of the metallic MoS2 polymorph exhibit facile electrode kinetics and low-loss electrical transport and possess a proliferated density of catalytic active sites. These distinct and previously unexploited features of 1T-MoS2 make ...
Pediatric renal-replacement therapy--coming of age.

Before the middle of the 20th century, the prospect that a child with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) would reach adulthood was essentially nil. Once dialysis and transplantation became available, t...
Efficient methods for grouping vectors into low-rank clusters

We present a few practical algorithms for sorting vectors into low-rank clusters. These algorithms rely on a subdivision scheme applied to the space of projections from d-dimensions to 1-dimension. This subdivision scheme can be thought of as a higher-dimensional generalization of quicksort. Given the ability to quickly sort vectors into low-rank clusters, one can efficiently search a matrix for low-rank sub-blocks of large diameter. The ability to detect large-diameter low-rank sub-blocks has many applications, ranging from data-analysis to matrix-compression.
Posttraumatic stress in children exposed to family violence and single-event trauma.

ABSTRACT Objective To examine posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other comorbid forms of psychopathology in a sample of children exposed to chronic abuse and single-event trauma. Method School-age children ( N = 337) were assessed for exposure to traumatic events (family violence, violent crime, death or illness of someone close to child, accidents) and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Children and mothers received structured diagnostic interviews to assess child psychopathology. Results Children from violent households were no more likely to report an extrafamilial traumatic stressor than children from nonviolent homes. Among the children reporting a traumatic event, 24.6% met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. The leading precipitating event for PTSD symptoms was death or illness of someone close to the child (log odds=4.3). Family violence, violent crime, but not accidents also resulted in PTSD. Children with PTSD displayed comorbidity across different symptom classes, most notably phobias and separation anxiety. Conclusions Both type I and type II trauma can result in PTSD in about one quarter of children. Children with posttraumatic stress symptoms had many other forms of comorbid psychopathology, indicating a global and diffuse impact of trauma on children.
The use of a bone-anchored hearing aid (Baha®) in children with severe behavioural problems—The Birmingham Baha® programme experience

Abstract Objective A trial of a bone conductor is traditionally used to determine whether a bone-anchored hearing aid (Baha) will be beneficial to a child. However there is a subgroup of children where a Baha assessment is not possible due to severe behavioural/mental/sensory disorders. We describe our experience in a small series of such children. Method Retrospective case series review of four children at the severe end of the spectrum of behavioural difficulties who underwent Baha implantation where no formal preoperative hearing aid assessment was possible. The Glasgow Children's Benefit Inventory and a visual analogue scale assessing health status were used to determine the benefit of Baha implantation in this group. Results There was no surgical morbidity in this group although a more intensive postoperative follow up was required. All four children wore their hearing aids at least 8 h a day. Parents reported a positive impact of the Baha on the behaviour and mood of their children. The Baha showed a positive benefit when assessed using the Glasgow Children's Benefit Inventory and showed a positive change in health status. Conclusions We feel that our early experience with Baha in children with severe behavioural difficulties has been positive to date. Multidisciplinary teams should not dismiss these children even if a trial of a bone conductor is not possible. We feel that the bone-anchored hearing aid has been successful in our cases because the children do not physically feel the presence of the hearing aid.
What Readers Read in A World Without Words

After I received a bad manuscript review while a graduate student at UCLA, Garfinkel told me Nietzsche's aphorism about writing. He said, 'Writing is like a magic mirror. If an ape looks in, a saint will not look back.' A beauty of the following collection of reactions is that Fran Waksler, who initiated and put together this symposium, has invited a panel of particularly qualified readers to look into A World Without Words (WWW). Each "reflection" is illuminating as a retrospective account of 'what I did.' My task is to "respond" and while this poses great difficulty within the space available, I will sketch my reactions and in the order in which the authors appear in the symposium.
Functional changes of the vermiform appendix producing diverticular sacculation of the spastically contracted organ

Spasm of the descending colon co-existing with spasm of both, the proximal and the distal ends of the appendix was observed in a highly neurotic young adult.
Cationic d3-d3 dinuclear compounds of tungsten: [W2(O2CBut)5]+X−, where X−=BF4− and CF3SO3−

Abstract Ditungsten hexapivalate, W 2 (O 2 CBu t ) 6 , and triethyloxonium tetrafluoroborate, Et 3 O + BF 4 − , react in CH 2 Cl 2 at room temperature to yield the 1:1 complex [W 2 (O 2 CBu t ) 5 ][BF 4 ] ( 1 ), as a yellow crystalline solid. A similar reaction involving trimethylsilyltrifluoromethane-sulfonate, TMS-OTf, yields [W 2 (O 2 CBu t ) 5 ][OTf] ( 2 ). Compounds 1 and 2 are 1:1 electrolytes in CH 3 CN but show ion pairing in THF and CH 2 Cl 2 solutions with the degree of ion pairing being greater for 2 than for 1 . Only 1 is soluble in toluene. 1 H NMR spectroscopy shows there are 3 types of O 2 CBu t ligands in the integral ratio 1:2:2 which is consistent with the structure found in the solid state for 1 which has a (WW) 6+ unit, WW=2.28(1) A supported by three bridging pivalates and two chelating η 2 -O 2 CBu t ligands. The local geometry about each tungsten is a distorted pentagonal pyramid, WWO 5 , with relatively weak axial interactions ( trans to the WW bond) to the BF 4 − counter anions, WF=2.50(1) A (av.). This leads to an infinite polymeric structure in the solid state. Crystal data for (W 2 (O 2 CBu t ) 5 ][BF 4 ] at −171 °C: a =29.44(1), b =36.05(1), c =20.80(1) A, β=133.30(1)°, Z =16, D calc =1.82 g cm −3 and space group C 2/ c .
Apoptosis in myocardial ischemia, infarction, and altered myocardial states.

Coronary artery disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, despite major strides in the treatment of acute coronary occlusion and myocardial infarction. This year as many 1.5 million Americans will have a new or recurrent myocardial infarction, and, as a direct result, one third of these patients will die. Also, currently, there are 7 million survivors of acute myocardial infarction. The goal of therapy is prompt re-establishment of coronary artery patency, and thus myocardial perfusion. Despite the availability of several reperfusion interventions, including coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), the potential for morbidity and mortality in myocardial ischemia remains significant. When the heart is rendered ischemic, the myocardium undergoes several adaptive responses to combat this situation, including myocardial stunning, hibernation, diastolic dysfunction, and cardiac remodeling. Often the ischemic injury to the myocardium is followed by another one because of reperfusion. It is, therefore, well recognized that cell damage following ischemia is a biphasic process. Ischemia initiates the injury by depriving cells of energy needed to maintain ionic gradients and homeostasis. Reperfusion then often exacerbates this process by triggering the release of reactive oxygen species, endothelial factors, and leukocytes (Fig. 1). Initially, it was believed that cell death after ischemia-reperfusion injury occurred was solely owing to necrosis, because it was generally believed that apoptosis did not occur in terminally-differentiated adult cardiac cells. 29 The first suggestion that apoptosis may play a role in the pathogenesis of cardiac failure in humans 105 provided impetus for further research into the role of apoptosis in a variety of cardiac disorders. Recent evidence has demonstrated that cell death after ischemic-reperfusion injury occurs by apoptosis.
Binding of Receptor-recognized Forms of α2-Macroglobulin to the α2-Macroglobulin Signaling Receptor Activates Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase

Abstract Ligation of the α2-macroglobulin (α2M) signaling receptor by receptor-recognized forms of α2M (α2M*) initiates mitogenesis secondary to increased intracellular Ca2+. We report here that ligation of the α2M signaling receptor also causes a 1.5–2.5-fold increase in wortmannin-sensitive phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) activity as measured by the quantitation of phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate (PIP3). PIP3 formation was α2M* concentration-dependent with a maximal response at ∼50 pm ligand concentration. The peak formation of PIP3 occurred at 10 min of incubation. The α2M receptor binding fragment mutant K1370R which binds to the α2M signaling receptor activating the signaling cascade, increased PIP3 formation by 2-fold. The mutant K1374A, which binds very poorly to the α2M signaling receptor, did not cause any increase in PIP3 formation. α2M*-induced DNA synthesis was inhibited by wortmannin. 1,2Bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acetoxymethylester a chelator of intracellular Ca2+, drastically reduced α2M*-induced increases in PIP3 formation. We conclude that PI3K is involved in α2M*-induced mitogenesis in macrophages and intracellular Ca2+ plays a role in PI3K activation.
Transforming growth factor-β in benign and malignant prostate

BACKGROUND The present review summarizes the cellular action of TGF-β in benign and malignant growth of the prostate. METHODS. TGF-β is a pleiotropic growth factor. It plays an important role in the regulation of growth and differentiation in many cells. In benign prostatic epithelia, its action is mediated through a paracrine mechanism. It inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in prostatic epithelia. It provides a mechanism to maintain epithelial homeostasis in the prostate. In prostatic stroma, its continual action leads to smooth muscle differentiation. This effect of TGF-β may regulate the development of prostatic smooth muscle nodules in benign prostatic hyperplasia. RESULTS As prostatic epithelial cells undergo malignant transformation, two major events occur regarding TGF-β action. These include the loss of expression of functional TGF-β receptors and overproduction of TGF-β in malignant cells. The loss of expression of functional TGF-β receptors provides a growth advantage to cancer cells over their benign counterparts. The overproduction of TGF-β by cancer cells has a multitude of adverse consequences. TGF-β can promote extracellular matrix production, induce angiogenesis, and inhibit host immune function. The biological consequence of these activities is an enhanced tumorigenicity in prostate cancer. Results of our recent studies with a rat prostate cancer model suggest that the immunosuppressive effect of TGF-β seems to be the primary cause of tumor progression. This is because, if these cancer cells were engineered to reduce the production of TGF-β, tumor growth was inhibited in syngeneic hosts but not in immune compromised hosts. CONCLUSIONS Our future research should take advantage of this knowledge to devise therapeutic strategies aimed at eradicating prostate cancer. Prostate 39:285–290, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Influence of specimen size on the crack-opening stretch zone

Abstract An investigation has been carried out to find the influence of specimen size (thickness and width) on the blunting line in the J Ic test procedure (where J Ic is the critical value of the elastic-plastic toughness parameter). Compact tension specimens prepared from aircraft quality AISI 4340 steel heat treated to a yield strength level of 1000 MPa were used. The J Ic values were determined by two different methods, i.e. (i) multiple-specimen resistance curve and (ii) by measurement of the critical stretch zone width on the fracture surface. This investigation shows that the stretch zone size ahead of the crack tip during blunting as well as the post-crack-initiation stage is independent of specimen size. The slope of the blunting line was found to be 1.2, compared with 2.0 (eqn. (2)) in the standard J Ic test procedure. J Ic values obtained by measurement of the critical stretch zone size were found to be in good agreement with the J Ic value obtained by the multiple-specimen resistance curve method. J, the crack-opening displacement COD and the stretch zone size ( Δα ) sz were found to be related by the expressions J = 0.6 σ 0 (COD) and COD ≈1.86 ( Δα ) sz (where σ 0 is the flow stress).
Effects of government programs to raise milk prices: Academic economists and public policy

The Northeast Dairy Compact benefited milk suppliers (and allied input suppliers) and harmed those on the fluid milk demand side in the Compact region, while having opposite impacts on these groups outside the Compact region. These simulation results leave many questions unanswered, but seem relatively robust. Simulations require many assumptions, but so do all other approaches to policy analysis. The specific policy question addressed and available data determine the most promising approach. In some cases, as with the evaluating effects of the Compact, a variety of approaches to policy analysis are complementary. [EconLit citations: Q18, Q13, L10, L43]. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Agribusiness 21: 473–476, 2005.