cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Escaping the Echo Chamber: Ideologically and Geographically Diverse Discussions about Politics

In the days and months following the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, everyone from peers to public figures like the President and the Pope called for unity and dialogue among diverse Americans. However, social and geographic barriers often prevent citizens from engaging in political conversations with those who have different perspectives. This brief paper explores the design of political discussions and introduces a variant of the Talkabout discussion platform to support synchronous, online small-group discussions about politics with diverse citizens. We share learnings from an initial deployment shortly after the 2016 U.S. Election and discuss opportunities for systems to support political dialogue.
Mechanisms of Cognitive Aging in the HIV-Positive Adult

As of the year 2016, an estimated 50% of the US HIV-positive population is aged 50 years or older. Due to a combination of increased rates of infection in older adults, and successful anti-retroviral (ART) regimens allowing HIV-positive adults to survive for decades with the disease, we are now faced with a steadily graying HIV-positive population, with only limited knowledge of how the cognitive and physiological effects of aging intersect with those of chronic HIV infection. Age-related changes to mood, cognition, and neurological health may be experienced differently in those living with HIV, and research concerning quality of life, mental health, and cognitive aging needs to account for and explore these factors more carefully in the coming years. This review will explore the topic of cognitive aging with HIV: (1) central nervous system (CNS) infection of HIV and how the virus affects brain integrity and function; (2) cognitive and behavioral symptoms of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND); (3) neurobiological theories of cognitive aging and how these processes may be exacerbated by HIV infection; and (4) clinical implications and complications of aging with HIV and factors that may result in poorer cognitive outcomes.
Family history of type 2 diabetes, abdominal adipocyte size and markers of the metabolic syndrome

A major risk factor of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a positive family history of diabetes. First degree relatives (FDR) of patients with T2DM are more insulin resistant and are reported to have larger abdominal subcutaneous adipocytes than adults without a family history. Our objectives were to assess whether FDR of T2DM are associated with larger abdominal adipocytes independent of age, sex and abdominal subcutaneous fat and to assess whether a family history of T2DM is also independently related to femoral adipocyte size, as well as visceral fat and fasting plasma triglyceride (TG) concentrations. We extracted adipocyte size, body composition, plasma TG and demographic data of non-diabetic research participants of previous studies conducted in our laboratory. We ascertained the family history of T2DM from the electronic medical records. Multivariate regression analysis was used to assess whether FDR of T2DM are more likely to have other risk factors after adjusting for known covariates. Of 604 participants, 148 were FDR of T2DM. Although abdominal and femoral adipocyte size was greater in FDR of T2DM than those without a family history (0.74±0.33 vs 0.63±0.33 μg lipid per cell, P<0.001; 0.81±0.29 vs 0.72±0.33 μg lipid per cell, P=0.01, respectively), this was confounded by FDR of T2DM being older, having greater body mass index and percent body fat. A family history of T2DM was a significant predictor of abdominal adipocyte size after adjustment for age and body fat distribution parameters in females (total R2=0.5, P<0.0001), but not in males. A family history of T2DM was not independently predictive of femoral adipocyte size, visceral fat area or TG. Female FDR of T2DM have larger abdominal, but not femoral, adipocytes, even after accounting for age and body fat distribution.
The Spontaneous Collapse Theory

In this chapter, we explore the possibility that the wave function, as given by the Schrodinger equation, isn’t right.
Use of the RenalGuard system to prevent contrast-induced AKI: A meta-analysis

Background Contrast-induced kidney injury (CI-AKI) following cardiovascular interventions results in increased morbidity and mortality. RenalGuard (RG) is a novel, closed loop system which balances volume administration with forced diuresis to maintain a high urine output. We performed a meta-analysis of the existing data comparing use of RG to conventional volume expansion. Methods Ten studies were found eligible, of which four were randomized controlled trials. Of an aggregate sample size (N) of 1585 patients, 698 were enrolled in the four RCTs and 887 belonged to the remaining registries included in this meta-analysis. Primary outcomes included CI-AKI incidence and relative risk. Mortality, dialysis, and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACCE) were secondary outcomes. A random effects model was used and data were evaluated for publication bias. Results RG was associated with significant risk reduction in CI-AKI compared to control (RR: 0.30, 95%CI: 0.18-0.50, P < 0.01). CI-AKI in RG was found to be 7.7% versus 23.6% in the control group (P < 0.01). Use of RG was associated with decreased mortality (RR: 0.43, 95%CI: 0.18-0.99, P = 0.05), dialysis (RR: 0.20, 95%CI: 0.06-0.61, P = 0.01), and MACCE (RR: 0.42, 95%CI: 0.27-0.65, P < 0.01) compared to control. Conclusions RG significantly reduces rates of CI-AKI compared to standard volume expansion and is also associated with decreased rates of death, dialysis, and MACCE.
Fast interpolation of grid data at a non-grid point

Defining data at a non-grid point by interpolating grid data is a common operation in many workloads including scientific applications and imaging applications. This paper describes our technique to accelerate this interpolation operation and show its performance benefit using 3D computed tomography reconstruction. The 3D CT is one of the compute-intensive medical imaging applications that frequently interpolates grid data (2D images) at a non-grid point. To efficiently execute this operation with SIMD instructions, we create an in-memory pre-computed table from the input 2D image at runtime before projecting voxels onto each image to 1) reduce the amount of computation and 2) avoid non-contiguous memory accesses that attenuate the benefits of SIMD instructions. We implemented and evaluated our pre-computation technique using a bilinear interpolation and a 3rd-degree Lagrange interpolation on POWER8 processors; it yields up to 75% and 57% performance improvements in the RabbitCT benchmark for the two interpolation algorithms respectively.
Stagnation Point of Surface Flow during Drop Evaporation

Capillary flow and Marangoni flow influence flow patterns of an evaporating liquid drop. While it is obvious that Marangoni stress on the drop surface affects the surface flow direction, we found that capillary flow also has an impact. The numerical results of this study showed a stagnation point near the contact line, which was further explained by the lubrication theory. The stagnation point is produced by the competing effects of Marangoni flow and capillary flow and emerges when the contact angle is small because the divergence of the capillary flow near the contact line increases as the contact angle decreases. The radial position of the stagnation point from the numerical results (rnumerical ≈ 0.995) agreed with the experimentally observed stagnation point (rexperimental > 0.992).
Inverse Force Estimation for Resonant Shock Plate Application

Resonant shock plate testing uses a projectile and programmer material to deliver and tune an impulsive force. Typically, the force level is too high to directly measure with conventional force sensors, so the spectral and temporal characteristics of these forces are not well understood. Non-linear simulations of the projectile, programmer, shock plate, and fixture are currently used to predict the results and design a resonant shock plate. A linear model of the resonant shock plate and fixture could be used if a reasonable representation of the applied force was known.
Modified radical neck dissection

All patients with a diagnosis of thyroid cancer should have a complete preoperative ultrasound of the central and lateral compartments of the neck, with a clear documentation of the description and location of suspicious lymph nodes using the standard nomenclature. Fine needle aspiration biopsy of suspicious lymph nodes should be performed preoperatively in order to guide the extent of surgery. Papillary and medullary thyroid cancers frequently metastasize to the cervical lymph nodes. Thyroid cancer nodal metastases are best treated with formal compartmental clearance. For metastatic thyroid cancer within the lateral neck, the authors perform a formal nodal clearance of levels IIA, III, IV, and VB. The standard nomenclature, preoperative preparation, steps of the dissection, and postoperative care are described.
Recognizing Communication Patterns in Chronic Care Innovation Networks

In this paper we describe a methodology to measure communication behaviors in innovation teams. We collected data over two years by mining email communication archives and applied the methodology to study innovation teams working to re-design the delivery of care for chronically ill children. We used social network analysis and sentiment analysis to calculate network metrics such as group density, group betweenness centrality, actor betweenness centrality, average weighted variance in contribution index, and emotionality ratio. We administered surveys to senior leaders to assess their perception of teams’ performance. We conducted “virtual mirroring” sessions with teams to share preliminary results. This paper explores the associations between performance, network density and average weighted variance in contribution index. Our preliminary findings show that high-performing teams tend to interact in less close-knit networks characterized by lower network density and a more balanced exchange of information among team members.
Imitation and Social Learning in Robots, Humans and Animals: A Bayesian model of imitation in infants and robots

Learning through imitation is a powerful and versatile method for acquiring new behaviors. In humans, a wide range of behaviors, from styles of social interaction to tool use, are passed from one generation to another through imitative learning. Although imitation evolved through Darwinian means, it achieves Lamarckian ends: it is a mechanism for the inheritance of acquired characteristics. Unlike trial-and-error-based learning methods such as reinforcement learning, imitation allows rapid learning. The potential for rapid behavior acquisition through demonstration has made imitation learning an increasingly attractive alternative to manually programming robots. In this chapter, we review recent results on how infants learn through imitation and discuss Meltzoff and Moore's four-stage progression of imitative abilities: (i) body babbling, (ii) imitation of body movements, (iii) imitation of actions on objects, and (iv) imitation based on inferring intentions of others. We formalize these four stages within a probabilistic framework for learning and inference. The framework acknowledges the role of internal models in sensorimotor control and draws on recent ideas from the field of machine learning regarding Bayesian inference in graphical models. We highlight two advantages of the probabilistic approach: (1) the development of new algorithms for imitation-based learning in robots acting in noisy and uncertain environments, and (2) the potential for using Bayesian methodologies (such as manipulation of prior probabilities) and robotic technologies to deepen our understanding of imitative learning in humans.
Functional IBV minigenomes generated by recombinant fowl pox viruses for use in IBV-targeted recombination studies.

Having previously demonstrated that the IBV defective (D)-RNA CD-61, can be used as an RNA vector for the expression of heterologous genes via electroporation of transcripts into infected cells (Stirrups et.al., 2000b) we wished to improve this procedure with another strategy. Hence, IBV D-RNA sequences (minigenomes) were introduced into the fowl pox virus (FPV) genome for use in a FPV/T7 system. Modified CD-61 D-RNA minigenomes were generated in situ, in a helper virus dependent manner, from cells co-infected with IBV, recombinant FPV containing CD-61 directed by the T7 promoter and rFPV expressing T7 RNA Polymerase. Efficient rescue of CD-61 D-RNAs by helper IBV was demonstrated upon serial passage in tissue culture.
The Vanity of Dogmatizing

This essay considers Brian Tamanaha’s “Beyond the Formalist-Realist Divide,” a book which takes aim at one of the most deep-rooted jurisprudential dichotomies of the last century: the concepts of legal formalism and legal realism. The book aims “to free us from the formalist-realist stranglehold,” an exercise that, it is claimed, will allow “us [to] recover a sound understanding of judging.” After summarizing the historical features of the book, this essay explores Tamanaha’s interesting critical reconstruction, one which attempts to explain why the formalist/realist dichotomy achieved such salience in the face of copious contrary historical evidence. In the context of assessing the author’s critique, the essay expresses some reservations about Tamanaha’s appeal to “balanced realism.” In specific, the essay argues that a book that purports to debunk certain conceptual categories should not return to the same dry conceptual well after purporting to drain it. This recursive move suggests that even after all the historical smudge-marks have been identified and retouched, the best that can be done is resignation to a kind of murky via media somewhere between formalism and realism’s grosser excesses. The essay offers two interpretations of Tamanaha’s backslide to “balanced realism,” which it calls the metaphysical and the historicist interpretations. What might all of this mean for legal scholarship? The question is too large to be pursued in any detail here, but the essay concludes by speculating about how adopting the metaphysical and historicist modes in legal theory might influence one facet of constitutional theory: originalist and living constitutionalist theories of interpretation. It is tentatively suggested that in light of the sorts of systematic academic distortions that Tamanaha so adeptly documents in the area of jurisprudence, the historicist mode, though rarely pursued by legal theorists, offers a more promising future for this debate in constitutional theory as well as for the formalist/realist question itself.
The crises of German historicism: The early political thought of Hannah Arendt and Leo Strauss

Interpreters of the political theory of Hannah Arendt and Leo Strauss have frequently noted the deep disagreements between the two over both the meaning of political theory and, more importantly, t...
Transnational Cosmopolitanism: Kant, Du Bois, and Justice as a Political Craft

Based on the theoretical reconstruction of neglected post-WWI writings and political action of W. E. B. Du Bois, this volume offers a normative account of transnational cosmopolitanism. Pointing out the limitations of Kant's cosmopolitanism through a novel contextual account of Perpetual Peace, Transnational Cosmopolitanism shows how these limits remain in neo-Kantian scholarship. Ines Valdez's framework overcomes these limitations in a methodologically unique way, taking Du Bois's writings and his coalitional political action both as text that should inform our theorization and normative insights. The cosmopolitanism proposed in this work is an original contribution that questions the contemporary currency of Kant's canonical approach and enlists overlooked resources to radicalize, democratize, and transnationalize cosmopolitanism.
Towards Context-Aware and Dynamic Management of Stream Processing Pipelines for Fog Computing

Newly arising IoT-driven use cases often require low-latency anaiytics to derive time-sensitive actions, where a centralized cloud approach is not applicable. An emerging computing paradigm, referred to as fog computing, shifts the focus away from the central cloud by offloading specific computational parts of analytical stream processing pipelines (SPP) towards the edge of the network, thus leveraging existing resources close to where data is generated. However, in scenarios of mobile edge nodes, the inherent context changes need to be incorporated in the underlying fog cluster management, thus accounting for the dynamics by relocating certain processing elements of these SPP. This paper presents our initial work on a conceptual architecture for context-aware and dynamic management of SPP in the fog. We provide preliminary results, showing the general feasibility of relocating processing elements according to changes in the geolocation.
Some Reflections on Survey Disciplines in the Context of the Present Development and Requirements of Society

Following an exponential function, not only is world population rapidly increasing but so is our knowledge in all fields. This also holds true in the surveying disciplines. Owing to the introductio...
Complex Hénon maps and discrete groups

Abstract Consider the standard family of complex Henon maps H ( x , y ) = ( p ( x ) − a y , x ) , where p is a quadratic polynomial and a is a complex parameter. Let U + be the set of points that escape to infinity under forward iterations. The analytic structure of the escaping set U + is well understood from previous work of J. Hubbard and R. Oberste-Vorth as a quotient of ( C − D ‾ ) × C by a discrete group of automorphisms Γ isomorphic to Z [ 1 / 2 ] / Z . On the other hand, the boundary J + of U + is a complicated fractal object on which the Henon map behaves chaotically. We show how to extend the group action to S 1 × C , in order to represent the set J + as a quotient of S 1 × C / Γ by an equivalence relation. We analyze this extension for Henon maps that are perturbations of hyperbolic polynomials with connected Julia set or polynomials with a parabolic fixed point.
Tipsy: A Sobering Look at the Effects of Alcohol-Related Incidents in Immigration Removal Proceedings

Many respondents in removal proceedings disclose alcohol-related incidents that must be evaluated for purposes of any applications for relief. This article discusses the effects of alcohol-related incidents on those applications.
Toxoplasma gondii Intravacuolar-Network-Associated Dense Granule Proteins Regulate Maturation of the Cyst Matrix and Cyst Wall.

ABSTRACT Little is known regarding how the chronic Toxoplasma gondii cyst develops. Here, we investigated intravacuolar-network-associated dense granule (GRA) proteins GRA1, GRA2, GRA4, GRA6, GRA9, and GRA12 during cyst development in vitro after differentiation of the tachyzoite-stage parasitophorous vacuole. By day 1 postdifferentiation, GRA1, GRA4, GRA6, GRA9, and GRA12 colocalized with Dolichos biflorus agglutinin stain at the cyst periphery. In contrast, GRA2 remained in the cyst matrix. By day 2 postdifferentiation, coinciding with localization of GRA2 to the cyst periphery, GRA1, GRA4, GRA6, and GRA9 established a continuous matrix pattern in the cyst. In contrast, GRA2 and GRA12 were colocalized in prominent cyst matrix puncta throughout cyst development. While GRA2, GRA6, and GRA12 localized in outer and inner layers of the cyst wall, GRA1, GRA4, and GRA9 localized predominantly in the inner layers of the cyst wall. GRA2 and GRA12 were colocalized in the cyst wall by day 7 postdifferentiation. However, by day 10 postdifferentiation, GRA12 was relocalized from the cyst wall to puncta in the cyst matrix. Differentiation of Δgra2 parasites revealed a defect in the ability to establish a normal cyst matrix. In addition, the deletion of any intravacuolar-network-associated GRA protein, except GRA1, reduced the rate of accumulation of cyst wall proteins at the cyst periphery relative to the cyst interior. Our findings reveal dynamic patterns of GRA protein localization during cyst development and suggest that intravacuolar-network-associated GRA proteins regulate the formation and maturation of the cyst matrix and cyst wall structures. IMPORTANCEToxoplasma gondii establishes chronic infection in humans by forming thick-walled cysts that persist in the brain. If host immunity wanes, cysts reactivate to cause severe, and often lethal, toxoplasmic encephalitis. There is no available therapy to eliminate cysts or to prevent their reactivation. Moreover, how the vital and characteristic cyst matrix and cyst wall structures develop is poorly understood. Here, we visualized and tracked the localization of Toxoplasma intravacuolar-network-associated dense granule (GRA) proteins during cyst development in vitro. Intravacuolar-network GRAs were present within the cyst matrix and at the cyst wall in developing cysts, and genetic deletion of intravacuolar-network-associated GRAs reduced the rate of accumulation of cyst wall material at the cyst periphery. Our results show that intravacuolar-network-associated GRAs, particularly GRA2 and GRA12, play dynamic and essential roles in the development and maturation of the cyst matrix and the cyst wall structures.
The microbial flora of clinically infected cutaneous metastases: a retrospective study

Symptomatic cutaneous metastases are associated with discharge, malodour, pruritus and pain, all of which may negatively impact quality of life and cutaneous health. We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients referred to the Dermatology Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center between August 2006 and June 2015, and characterized the microbial flora and antimicrobial management of cutaneous metastases in 64 patients. We detected pathogenic and/or opportunistic bacteria in 50% of skin lesions. The most commonly isolated organisms were Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Patients treated with oral antibiotics, alone or in combination with topical agents, had a statistically significant better improvement in infectious symptoms than those treated without oral antibiotics. Our findings suggest that the normal skin microbial flora is disrupted in patients with symptomatic skin metastases. Oral antibiotics may provide benefit when used as first-line therapy for infected skin lesions in patients with symptomatic cutaneous metastases.
Advances in the research of low-and non-responsiveness after immunization with recombinant hepatitis B vaccine

The key strategy to prevent hepatitis B is immunization with hepatitis B vaccine,but after immunization.about 5%-10% of the vaccinees are low-and non-responders to hepatitis B vaccine.This review summarizes the research progress in low-and non-responsiveness after recombinant hepatitis B vaccination. Key words: Hepatitis B vaccine; Vaccination; Low-and non-responsiveness
Antenatal corticosteriods decrease forced vital capacity in infants born fullterm

Antenatal corticosteroids (ACS) administration to pregnant women for threatened preterm labor is standard obstetric care to reduce neonatal respiratory distress syndrome and the associated respiratory morbidity. While ACS stimulates surfactant production in the fetal lung, the effects of ACS upon the subsequent growth and development of the lung are unclear. Follow-up studies outside of the neonatal period have been primarily limited to spirometry, and most subjects evaluated were born prematurely. To our knowledge, no study has assessed both airway and parenchymal function in infants or adults following ACS exposure. We hypothesized that ACS impairs lung growth and performed infant pulmonary function testing, which included spirometry, alveolar volume (VA ) and lung diffusion (DL ). As a pilot study, we limited our assessment to infants whose mothers received ACS for threatened preterm labor, but then proceeded to full term delivery. This approach evaluated a more homogenous population and eliminated the confounding effects of preterm birth. We evaluated 36 full-term infants between 4 to 12 months of age; 17 infants had ACS exposure and 19 infants had no ACS exposure. Infants exposed to ACS had a significantly lower forced vital capacity compared with non-ACS exposed infants (250 vs 313 mL; P = .0075). FEV0.5 tended to be lower for the ACS exposed group (205 vs 237 mL; P = .075). VA and DL did not differ between the two groups. These findings suggest that ACS may impair subsequent growth of the lung parenchyma.
Applied Machine Learning in Operations Management

The field of operations management has witnessed a fast-growing trend of data analytics in recent years. In particular, spurred by the increasing availability of data and methodological advancement in machine learning, a large body of recent literature in this field takes advantage of machine learning techniques for analyzing how firms should operate. We review applications of different machine learning methods, including supervised learning, unsupervised learning, and reinforcement learning, in various areas of operations management. We highlight how both supervised and unsupervised learning shape operations management research in both descriptive and prescriptive analyses. We also emphasize how different variants of reinforcement learning are applied in diverse operational decision problems. We then identify several exciting future directions at the intersection of machine learning and operations management.
Hybrid chemotherapy regimen (FLAG-IDA-vincristine-prednisone) for acute leukemia with mixed-phenotype blasts.

Abstract Background Acute leukemia with mixed-phenotype blasts is associated with poor outcomes. There are no standard treatment regimens. Due to disease heterogeneity, controversy exists over whether an AML-based, ALL-based, or a combined (hybrid) AML/ALL-based regimen is most appropriate. Materials and Methods We conducted a single-center, retrospective case series review of patients with acute leukemia with mixed phenotype blasts as described by the European Group for Immunological Characterization of Leukemia (EGIL) or the 2008 WHO classification. Patients were treated from November 2014 and December 2019 with the combination chemotherapy regimen FLAG-idarubicin-vincristine-prednisone with or without rituximab. Outcomes included induction response, time to transplant, time to relapse, overall survival, time to neutrophil or platelet recovery, infection, and duration of hospitalization. Results The median age was 68 years (range 21−77). Six patients (87.5 %) had unfavorable/complex cytogenetics. All patients achieved a complete remission (CR) or complete remission with incomplete hematologic recovery (CRi). Estimated 1-year overall survival was 85.7 %. There were no deaths during induction, with a 22 day median duration of hospitalization for induction. Conclusion The combination of FLAG, idarubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (FLAG-VIPR) demonstrated favorable induction responses in a disease state with historically poor outcomes and should be studied in a prospective clinical trial.
Cache Me Outside: A New Look at DNS Cache Probing

DNS cache probing infers whether users of a DNS resolver have recently issued a query for a domain name, by determining whether the corresponding resource record (RR) is present in the resolver’s cache. The most common method involves performing DNS queries with the “recursion desired” (RD) flag set to zero, which resolvers typically answer from their caches alone. The answer’s TTL value is then used to infer when the resolver cached the RR, and thus when the domain was last queried. Previous work in this space assumes that DNS resolvers will respond to researchers’ queries. However, an increasingly common policy for resolvers is to ignore queries from outside their networks. In this paper, we demonstrate that many of these DNS resolvers can still be queried indirectly through open DNS forwarders in their network. We apply our technique to localize website filtering appliances sold by Netsweeper, Inc and, tracking the global proliferation of stalkerware. We are able to discover Netsweeper devices in ASNs where OONI and Censys fail to detect them and we observe a regionality effect in the usage of stalkerware apps across the world.
An Allergic Basis for Abdominal Pain.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Immunity Recent findings based on a mouse model suggest that a peripheral immune mechanism may underlie the symptoms associated with abdominal pain in patients with irr...
Multi-Agent Autonomy: Advancements and Challenges in Subterranean Exploration

Artificial intelligence has undergone immense growth and maturation in recent years, though autonomous systems have traditionally struggled when fielded in diverse and previously unknown environments. DARPA is seeking to change that with the Subterranean Challenge, by providing roboticists the opportunity to support civilian and military first responders in complex and high-risk underground scenarios. The subterranean domain presents a handful of challenges, such as limited communication, diverse topology and terrain, and degraded sensing. Team MARBLE proposes a solution for autonomous exploration of unknown subterranean environments in which coordinated agents search for artifacts of interest. The team presents two navigation algorithms in the form of a metric-topological graph-based planner and a continuous frontier-based planner. To facilitate multi-agent coordination, agents share and merge new map information and candidate goal-points. Agents deploy communication beacons at different points in the environment, extending the range at which maps and other information can be shared. Onboard autonomy reduces the load on human supervisors, allowing agents to detect and localize artifacts and explore autonomously outside established communication networks. Given the scale, complexity, and tempo of this challenge, a range of lessons were learned, most importantly, that frequent and comprehensive field testing in representative environments is key to rapidly refining system performance.
Memory in language-impaired children with and without autism.

A subgroup of young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have significant language impairments (phonology, grammar, vocabulary), although such impairments are not considered to be core symptoms of and are not unique to ASD. Children with specific language impairment (SLI) display similar impairments in language. Given evidence for phenotypic and possibly etiologic overlap between SLI and ASD, it has been suggested that language-impaired children with ASD (ASD + language impairment, ALI) may be characterized as having both ASD and SLI. However, the extent to which the language phenotypes in SLI and ALI can be viewed as similar or different depends in part upon the age of the individuals studied. The purpose of the current study is to examine differences in memory abilities, specifically those that are key “markers” of heritable SLI, among young school-age children with SLI, ALI, and ALN (ASD + language normal). In this cross-sectional study, three groups of children between ages 5 and 8 years participated: SLI (n = 18), ALI (n = 22), and ALN (n = 20). A battery of cognitive, language, and ASD assessments was administered as well as a nonword repetition (NWR) test and measures of verbal memory, visual memory, and processing speed. NWR difficulties were more severe in SLI than in ALI, with the largest effect sizes in response to nonwords with the shortest syllable lengths. Among children with ASD, NWR difficulties were not associated with the presence of impairments in multiple ASD domains, as reported previously. Verbal memory difficulties were present in both SLI and ALI groups relative to children with ALN. Performance on measures related to verbal but not visual memory or processing speed were significantly associated with the relative degree of language impairment in children with ASD, supporting the role of verbal memory difficulties in language impairments among early school-age children with ASD. The primary difference between children with SLI and ALI was in NWR performance, particularly in repeating two- and three-syllable nonwords, suggesting that shared difficulties in early language learning found in previous studies do not necessarily reflect the same underlying mechanisms.
The inverse output feedback LQ problem

A recursive method for shifting the open loop eigenvalues to the desired locations using output feedback is presented in this paper. This method is capable of shifting both imaginary and real parts for continuous time systems.
A Non-Linear Model of a Flapper-Nozzle Valve

A previous analysis into the dynamic behavior of the flapper-nozzle component of an electrohydraulic servovalve was performed after linearization of the equations relating to control piston flow [1,2]. This paper reports results for first-stage gain and for dynamic behavior when linearization has not been performed. Good agreement has been achieved between results calculated from the non-linear theory presented and experimental results.
Pragmatism and Feminism as Qualified Relativism.

This article explores pragmatism's associationwith relativism, not to rescue it fromrelativism but rather to highlight how aspectsof the classic pragmatists' positions supportqualified relativism. I do so in an effort tohelp restore ``relativism'' as a meaningfulconcept that is nuanced and complex, ratherthan naive and vulgar, as it is regularlyportrayed by more traditional philosophers. This nuanced relativism I call qualifiedrelativism. Qualified relativists insist thatall inquiry are affected by philosophicalassumptions which are culturally bound, andthat all inquirers are situated knowers who areculturally bound as well. However, we cancompensate for our cultural embeddedness byopening our horizons and including others inour conversations. I connect the classicpragmatist points to current feministepistemological work and show that qualifiedrelativists (pragmatists, feminists, andpostmodernists) can claim roots to theirpositions in Peirce, James, and Dewey, some ofthe very scholars others turn to for theirpragmatic realism and their nonvulgar absolutism.
Complexity of tensor products of modules and a theorem of Huneke-Wiegand

This paper concerns the notion of complexity, a measure of the growth of the Betti numbers of a module. We show that over a complete intersection R the complexity of the tensor product M ?R N of two finitely generated modules is the sum of the complexities of each if TorR(M, N) = 0 for i > 1. One of the applications is simplification of the proofs of central results in a paper of C. Huneke and R. Wiegand on the tensor product of modules and the rigidity of Tor.
Dihydrodipicolinic Acid Reductase

Abstract The enzyme dihydrodipicolinic acid reductase catalyzes a pyridine nucleotide-linked reduction of dihydrodipicolinic acid to tetrahydrodipicolinic acid in the biosynthetic pathway leading to diaminopimelic acid and lysine in bacteria. Modification of the procedure published previously and additional purification steps led to a preparation of this enzyme from Escherichia coli that is homogeneous as judged by sedimentation pattern and gel filtration and is at least 95 % pure as judged by gel electrophoresis. Several properties of the enzyme were studied. The molecular weight was found to be 1.1 x 105, the Michaelis constant obtained for dihydrodipicolinic acid is 9.0 x 10-6, and the pH optimum for the reaction is 7.0 with either DPNH or TPNH. The enzyme was shown to be free of flavin by spectral and enzymatic assays. This finding was in accord with the finding that tritium, from TPNH labeled in position 4, was found exclusively in the product, not having exchanged with water during the course of the reaction. The enzyme is specific for the A form of TPNH. The reaction is essentially irreversible. Dipicolinic acid and isophthalic acid were shown to be inhibitors of the reaction and were competitive with the substrate. The results indicate that the substrate is in a ring form when binding to the active site of the enzyme.
Elevation of transforming growth factor alpha in cat aqueous humor after corneal endothelial injury.

PURPOSE To determine if a scrape injury to cat corneal endothelial cells increases the level of mitogenic proteins such as transforming growth factor alpha (TGF alpha) in aqueous humor. METHODS Aqueous humor of cats was collected at 0, 2, 6, and 24 hours after wounding the endothelium by contact with a cannula tip. Aqueous humor samples collected from sham-wounded cats served as controls. Aqueous humor samples were analyzed for levels of protein, for mitogenic activity using incorporation of tritiated thymidine by cultures of bovine corneal endothelial cells, and for immunoreactive TGF alpha protein using a specific radioimmunoassay. RESULTS The average protein level in aqueous humor obtained before wounding was low (0.5 mg/ml), increased 26-fold at 2 hours after injury (13 mg/ml), then progressively decreased at 6 hours (8 mg/ml) and 24 hours (2 mg/ml). Levels of mitogenic activity of aqueous humor samples collected 2, 6, and 24 hours after wounding were 2-fold, 2.5-fold, and 0.6-fold higher, respectively, compared to the level of mitogenic activity measured in aqueous humor collected before wounding (0 hours) or in aqueous humor collected from sham-wounded eyes. TGF alpha concentration in aqueous humor collected before endothelial wounding was low (6.8 ng/ml), increased 14-fold 2 hours after wounding (97.4 ng/ml), then progressively decreased at 6 hours (63.3 ng/ml) and 24 hours (35.5 ng/ml) after wounding. TGF alpha concentrations in aqueous humor collected from sham-wounded eyes at 2 hours (9.5 ng/ml) and 6 hours (5.3 ng/ml) were not significantly different from prewound levels. Detergent extracts of bovine corneal endothelial cells contained substantial levels of TGF alpha immunoreactive protein (20 ng/mg protein). CONCLUSIONS Wounding of cat endothelium causes a rapid increase in mitogenic proteins in aqueous humor including TGF alpha, which may act by an autocrine mechanism to stimulate endothelial wound healing.
The Practical Impact of Intellectual Assessment Issues.

(1997). The Practical Impact of Intellectual Assessment Issues. School Psychology Review: Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 242-248.
A Statistician Reads the Sports Pages: Measuring Player Contributions in Hockey

Hockey is a popular sport due to the continuous nature of play and frequent changes of players on the ice that leads to a fast pace of gameplay. Adding to the excitement is the relatively high freq...
Silver: Organometallic Chemistry

The organometallic chemistry of silver and copper are in many ways similar. Simple alkyls are not thermally stable but fluorination of the hydrocarbon imparts considerable stability to the silver(I) products. Except for the special anion, [Ag(CF3)4]−, and derivatives such as Ag(CF3)3L, L = phosphine, which are stable, the fluorocarbon products generally are light and air sensitive, but less so than the nonfluorinated alkyls. Organometallic stability is increased when the silver is bonded to alkenes, alkynes, and other unsaturated species. Alkynylsilver compounds are generally polymeric solids. Alkenes π-bond to the silver in Ag(I) salts. This feature has led to the well-established use of silver catalysts for olefin epoxidation. Keywords: alkylsilver; fluoroalkylsilver; alkenylsilver; alkynylsilver; ylide; epoxidation; carbene; cyanide; mesitylsilver; isocyanates; cluster
Variability of the Marine ITCZ over the Eastern Pacific during the Past 30,000 Years

The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is manifested as a circum-global atmospheric belt of intense, moist convection and rainfall, marking the confluence of the northern and southern trades and the rising branch of the Had-ley cell. It regulates the hydrologic cycle over the tropical continents and interacts tightly with the tropical oceans, notably with the seasonal appearance of the equatorial cold tongues of the Atlantic and Pacific. While it undergoes a regular seasonal migration, today the ITCZ maintains a nearly permanent Northern Hemisphere bias. Here we address the question of variability in the mean latitude of the marine ITCZ over the eastern Pacific on time scales of 100–10,000 years, with emphasis on the past 30,000 years. Our strategy relies on reconstructing the intensity of the prominent oceanographic front of the cold tongue-ITCZ complex, using oxygen isotope and magnesium thermometry techniques. We show that a weaker cold tongue-ITCZ front prevailed during the last glacial maximum (LGM), which indicates a more southerly ITCZ at that time. We further show that the Holocene history of sea surface temperature (SST) near the Galapagos Islands is consistent with progressive southward migration of the ITCZ during the last ~7,000 years, in accord with records from South America and the tropical Atlantic. In the more recent past, evidence from eastern Pacific corals supports a northward ITCZ shift since the end of the Little Ice Age (LIA), in agreement with the hydrologie record of the nearby Cariaco Basin. Collectively, the evidence points to coherent behavior of the Pacific, Atlantic, and South American ITCZs over a broad range of time scales. All regions have responded to Northern Hemisphere cooling by southward (equatorward) ITCZ displacements. In the Pacific, such displacements are likely to have been unfavorable to divergent upwelling at the equator, resulting in weaker zonal and meridional SST gradients and more uniform equatorial SSTs, analogous to modern El Nino conditions.
The Circadian Clock System in the Mammalian Retina

Daily rhythms are a ubiquitous feature of living systems. Generally, these rhythms are not just passive consequences of cyclic fluctuations in the environment, but instead originate within the organism. In mammals, including humans, the master pacemaker controlling 24-hour rhythms is localized in the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus. This circadian clock is responsible for the temporal organization of a wide variety of functions, ranging from sleep and food intake, to physiological measures such as body temperature, heart rate and hormone release. The retinal circadian clock was the first extra-SCN circadian oscillator to be discovered in mammals and several studies have now demonstrated that many of the physiological, cellular and molecular rhythms that are present within the retina are under the control of a retinal circadian clock, or more likely a network of hierarchically organized circadian clocks that are present within this tissue. BioEssays 30:624-633, 2008. (c) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Crack Fronts Trapped by Arrays of Obstacles: Numerical Solutions Based on Surface Integral Representation

This paper addresses the trapping of the front of a planar crack as it impinges upon a row of periodically-emplaced tough obstacles. The initial penetration of the crack between obstacles, under increasing load, as well as the ultimate unstable joining of penetrating segments so as to surround and by-pass the obstacles, are analyzed. The formulation used for the associated three-dimensional elasticity problems of half-plane cracks with nonuniform, curved fronts is a Boundary Element Method. The last study is a crack growth simulation around a periodic array of circular obstacles with a particle size to spacing ratio of 0.5
Direct simulation Monte Carlo simulation of the interaction between rarefied free jets

This paper presents a direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) calculation of two interacting free jets exhausting into vacuum. The computed flow field is compared against available experimental data and shows excellent agreement everywhere except in the very near field (less than one orifice diameter downstream of the jet exhaust plane). The lack of agreement in this region is attributed to having assumed an inviscid boundary condition for the orifice lip. The results serve both to validate the DSMC code for a very complex, three-dimensional, nonequilibrium flowfield, and to provide some insight into the complicated nature of this flow. 15 refs.
Labeling Schwann cells with CFSE-an in vitro and in vivo study.

Abstract Schwann cell (SC) transplantation is a promising strategy for axonal regeneration in the nervous system. Identifying the grafted SCs is an important aspect of this approach. The current study sought to establish a simple, reliable, fluorescent labeling method for SCs with a lipophilic molecule, 5-(and-6)-carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFSE). Human SCs were incubated with varying concentrations of CFSE for different time periods. Based on the viability of labeled SCs and its plating efficiency, 1 min incubation with 5 μM CFSE at 37 °C was selected as the optimal labeling condition. Flow cytometric analysis and fluorescence microscopy demonstrated that the fluorescence of labeled SCs would fade over 4 weeks. Immunostaining for the phenotypic expression of SC markers, including S100, GFAP, P75, and MHC-I/II at 1 and 4 weeks after incubation with CFSE showed no difference between labeled and non-labeled SCs. Mixed cultures of labeled human SCs and rat SCs for 48 h were performed in triplicate and demonstrated that no leakage of dye from labeled SCs in cell culture occurred across species. A total of 14 injections of 2×10 5 labeled SCs were performed within the spinal cord at T8 and/or L1 level in 9 nude rats. The animals were euthanized at 1 (6 injections) and 4 weeks (8 injections). Grafted labeled SCs survived for at least 4 weeks, and could be easily recognized in the nude rat spinal cord without leakage of dye to surrounding cells. The SCs migrated in white and gray matter 3–6 mm away from the injection and in the central canal for up to 12 mm. These results suggest that CFSE can be used as a fluorescent tracer of human SCs for both in vitro and in vivo studies, for a period of at least 4 weeks.
Bacteria Swim by Rotating their Flagellar Filaments

IT is widely agreed that bacteria swim by moving their flagella, but how this motion is generated remains obscure1,2. A flagellum has a helical filament, a proximal hook, and components at its base associated with the cell wall and the cytoplasmic membrane. If there are several flagella per cell, the filaments tend to form bundles and to move in unison. When viewed by high-speed cinematography, the bundles show a screw-like motion. It is commonly believed that each filament propagates a helical wave3. We will show here that existing evidence favours a model in which each filament rotates.