cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Language of Everyday Verbal Analogies

Verbal analogies produced during naturally occurring instructional discourse in mathematics were explored using techniques borrowed from studies of language in use (see Wortham & Rymes, 2003). Close examination of two eighth-grade instructional analogies reveals that the language practices of analogy are instrumental in shaping recipients’ relational re-representation of objects being compared, in particular through markers of indexicality and poetic parallel structure. At the same time, close examination of the communicative interactions reveals that these devices may reduce the burden on recipients’ reasoning to the point that they may appear successful at solving the verbal analogy, but their responses can be explained by facility in verbal interaction rather than in mathematical reasoning. These data provide thereby new insights into the “analogical paradox,” the finding that analogies are commonly successful as vehicles for interactionally producing and displaying understanding of new information in everyday contexts but generally problematic when measured for their effects on reasoning in controlled laboratory settings (Dunbar, 1998). We identify a tension between interactional and cognitive success of everyday communicative analogies, meaning that those that are most likely to be interactionally successful may lead to less cognitive engagement for analogy recipients.
Localized Orbital Corrections for the Barrier Heights in Density Functional Theory

This work describes the extension of a previously reported empirical localized orbital correction model for density functional theory for atomization energies, ionization potentials, electron affinities, and reaction enthalpies to the correction of barrier heights. Various chemical reactions' barrier heights are corrected, including cycloadditions, cycloreversions, dipolar cycloadditions, SN2’s, carbon and hydrogen radical reactions, sigmatropic shifts, and electrocyclizations. The B3LYP localized orbital correction version of the model reduces the number of outliers and overall mean unsigned error versus experiment or ab initio values from 3.2 to 1.3 kcal/mole for barrier heights and from 5.1 to 1.1 kcal/mole for reaction enthalpies versus B3LYP. Furthermore, the new model has essentially zero additional computational cost beyond standard DFT calculations. Although the model is heuristic and is based on multiple linear regression to experimental or ab initio data, each of the parameters is justified on c...
Equilibrium moisture content during storage, manufacturing, and shipping of Bolivian wood products

After lumber is kiln-dried it is important to keep its moisture content (MC) as close as possible to its target value during all stages of production to assure final product quality. Knowledge of climate conditions at all stages of the manufacturing process is essential to provide a good control of lumber MC. This study is the first step to provide Bolivian companies and institutions with information, currently not available, about the potential for moisture change during postdrying activities. The potential for MC gain/loss during processing and shipping was evaluated by monitoring temperature and relative humidity during lumber storage, manufacturing, and containerized transport. These values were then used to estimate the equilibrium moisture content (EMC). Readings were taken between August 2005 and March 2006 in three Bolivian manufacturing plants, located in regions representative of the different climate conditions in the country. Measurements were also taken in three containerized ocean shipments of wood products to the United States. Results show maximum/minimum differences throughout the months of the study of 3.8, 6.4, and 7.6 percent EMC for Cochabamba, Santa Cruz, and La Paz, respectively. Average differences between storage and plant conditions ranged from 0 to 3.5 percent EMC in the plants where measurements were taken and were strongly influenced by the type of construction used. Average EMC values inside cargo containers reached 3 to 4 percent above the lumber MC for the routes investigated; packaging methods were found to influence conditions inside unit loads. The differences in EMC of the materials can lead to moisture-related problems during the manufacturing process and service.
In Situ Characterization of Binary Mixed Polymer Brush-Grafted Silica Nanoparticles in Aqueous and Organic Solvents by Cryo-Electron Tomography

We present an in situ cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) study of mixed poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)/polystyrene (PS) brush-grafted 67 nm silica nanoparticles in organic and aqueous solvents. These organic–inorganic nanoparticles are predicted to be environmentally responsive and adopt distinct brush layer morphologies in different solvent environments. Although the self-assembled morphology of mixed PAA/PS brush-grafted particles has been studied previously in a dried state, no direct visualization of microphase separation was achieved in the solvent environment. CryoEM allows the sample to be imaged in situ, that is, in a frozen solvated state, at the resolution of a transmission electron microscope. Cryo-electron tomograms (cryoET) were generated for mixed PAA/PS brush-grafted nanoparticles in both N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF, a nonselective good solvent) and water (a selective solvent for PAA). Different nanostructures for the mixed brushes were observed in these two solvents. Overall, the brush layer is mo...
Preliminary electrophysiological characterization of functionally vestigial muscles of the head: potential for command signaling.

In devastating neurological disorders, such as quadriplegia resulting from high-level spinal cord injury, it is essential to focus on functions that have been spared and optimally exploit them to enhance the individual's quality of life. It follows that certain muscles, which prior to the paralysis of much of the rest of the body seemed to have no useful function, might be used to provide unique signals to control assistive devices. This report presents preliminary electrophysiological data demonstrating potentially useful myoelectrical signals from 3 functionally vestigial muscles in humans; the posterior, anterior, and superior auricular muscles. In phylogenetically lower species, these muscles serve to position the ear to enhance hearing. The auricular muscles receive their major innervation from cranial nerve VII and should not be compromised by even high-level spinal cord lesions. In this study, it was found that the muscles could be voluntarily activated and, by standard surface-electrode recording, had potentials ranging to 680 microV in amplitude. Posterior auricular muscle potentials were used to command a paddle in a computer ping-pong task that employed a CyberLink interface. The t values for accuracy scores and ball hits were both significant at the p = .0001 level. These facts indicate that the auricular muscles may be useful for controlling assistive devices.
Nanoparticles for imaging and treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Metastatic breast cancer is one of the most devastating cancers that have no cure. Many therapeutic and diagnostic strategies have been extensively studied in the past decade. Among these strategies, cancer nanotechnology has emerged as a promising strategy in preclinical studies by enabling early identification of primary tumors and metastases, and by effective killing of cancer cells.Areas covered: This review covers the recent progress made in targeting and imaging of metastatic breast cancer with nanoparticles, and treatment using nanoparticle-enabled chemo-, gene, photothermal- and radio-therapies. This review also discusses recent developments of nanoparticle-enabled stem cell therapy and immunotherapy.Expert opinion: Nanotechnology is expected to play important roles in modern therapy for cancers, including metastatic breast cancer. Nanoparticles are able to target and visualize metastasis in various organs, and deliver therapeutic agents. Through targeting cancer stem cells, ...
CHAPTER SEVEN – PHASE DIAGRAM DETERMINATION USING DIFFUSION MULTIPLES

Publisher Summary This chapter introduces a novel diffusion-multiple approach with examples. Using a hot isostatic pressing process, one can put several pieces of metals together to form several diffusion couples and triples in a single “diffusion multiple” to determine isothermal sections of several systems. The key considerations and steps in making good diffusion multiples are discussed in the chapter to stress the importance of sample preparation. The analysis steps involving imaging and phase identification, the electron probe microanalysis, and extraction of tie lines are also discussed in the chapter. It is shown that two plots, one composition profile (composition–distance plot) and one composition path (composition–composition plot), are essential for reliable interpretation of the experimental results obtained from very concentrated areas of diffusion multiples. The chapter concludes discussing the practices used to reduce the chances of errors. By following the many recommendations specified in the chapter, one can determine phase diagrams with high efficiency while maintaining high quality.
The Politics of Common Sense: Articulation Theory and Critical Communication Studies

This essay centers on the concept of articulation, beginning from the work of its major contemporary theorists—Ernesto Laclau, Chantal Mouffe, and Stuart Hall. Articulation theory conceptualizes th...
Crucial Role Reported for TSPO in Viability and Steroidogenesis is a Misconception. Commentary: Conditional Steroidogenic Cell-Targeted Deletion of TSPO Unveils a Crucial Role in Viability and Hormone-Dependent Steroid Formation.

Recent reports on Leydig cell-specific Tspo conditional knockout TspocΔ/Δ mice (1), viable global Tspo knockout (Tspo−/−) mice from two independent laboratories (2, 3), and clones of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated Tspo-deleted MA-10 Leydig cells (MA-10TspoΔ/Δ) (4) established that TSPO is not essential for steroid hormone biosynthesis or viability [reviewed in Ref. (5, 6)]. These reports refuted 25 years of dogma that described TSPO as a mitochondrial cholesterol transport protein, indispensable for steroidogenesis. In response, the research group involved in most of the early studies linking TSPO and steroidogenesis investigated Leydig cell-specific and adrenocortical cell-specific TspocΔ/Δ mice (7) and presented results that seem to repudiate the recent findings and revive the old model. In this commentary, we would like to point out that interpretations made in the manuscript by Fan et al. (7) are seriously flawed.
Uncertainty-driven labor market fluctuations

Abstract This paper explores uncertainty shocks as a driving force in a search and matching model of the labor market. Uncertainty takes the form of a noisy component in a firm׳s initial signal about job productivity. Greater uncertainty dampens job creation by increasing the risk of making the costly mistake of investing in jobs that will turn out to be unprofitable. Thus, uncertainty shocks can cause labor market downturns: lower vacancy rates, lower job-finding rates, and higher unemployment. Numerical simulations examine the level of volatility and the cross-correlations and autocorrelations of key U.S. labor market indicators that result from fluctuations driven by changes in uncertainty.
“Hemispheric Postcolonialism: Black Female Sexuality and Slavery in the Americas”

Building on what Gunter H. Lenz describes as the “always two-directional processes of transculturation,” this piece brings together two classic works, Gayl Jones's Corregidora and Carlos Diegues's Brazilian film, Xica da Silva (1975), specifically addressing the hemispheric connections in cross-cultural literary and cinematic representations of black female sexuality, colonialism and slavery in the Americas. The essay presents a critical comparison of the legacy of slave concubinage and black female resistance, noting how Jones's Corregidora helps to undermine the Brazilian myth of racial democracy, while Xica da Silva deepens Gayl Jones's Pan-African vision of the quilombos, or maroon societies, and problematizes sexuality by magnifying the complex mix of abjection and desire, which deeply engages Jones's novel. By furthering an already existing discussion yet promoting a new critical paradigm for a hemispheric postcolonialism, this work seeks to fortify the nexus of Africana Studies, Comparative American Studies and Hemispheric Studies, but with a distinct postcolonial focus on the historic and cultural intersections of U.S. and Latin America, working within the purview of postcolonial studies in particular.
Fluorescence-Based Real-Time Activity Assays to Identify RNase P Inhibitors

Transfer RNA is transcribed as precursor molecules that are processed before participating in translation catalyzed by the ribosome. Ribonuclease P is the endonuclease that catalyzes the 5' end maturation of precursor tRNA and it is essential for cell survival. Bacterial RNase P has a distinct subunit composition compared to the eukaryal counterparts; therefore, it is an attractive antibacterial target. Here, we describe a real-time fluorescence-based RNase P activity assay using fluorescence polarization/anisotropy with a 5' end fluorescein-labeled pre-tRNAAsp substrate. This FP/FA assay is sensitive, robust, and easy to transition to a high-throughput mode and it also detects ligands that interact with pre-tRNA. We apply this FP/FA assay to measure Bacillus subtilis RNase P activity under single and multiple turnover conditions in a continuous format and a high-throughput screen of inhibitors, as well as determining the dissociation constant of pre-tRNA for small molecules.
The Effect of Different Geometries on Percolation in Two Dimensions

Using the model simulation developed by Weddell and Feinerman, this study found results for the percolation threshold as a function of aspect ratio for rectangle shaped holes and then compared these results to Weddell et. al.'s elliptical ones.1 We developed a slightly different experimental set-up than Weddell, proving that this method for collecting percolation data is repeatable and valid. The percolation threshold for both shapes has been found to exhibit a similar trend - as aspect ratio decreases, percolation threshold increases. At small aspect ratios, when both shapes are almost indistinguishable lines, the percolation threshold results are very similar. For larger aspect ratios, the differences in percolation threshold are much greater. More shapes need to be considered, but these results imply that there exists a point at which the aspect ratio of a shape does influence the percolation threshold.
Resonant converter with coupling and load independent resonance for omnidirectional wireless power transfer application

Omnidirectional wireless power transfer (WPT) system has been studied recently due to its better user experience compared with directional WPT system. And this paper focus on resonant converter topologies study in omnidirectional WPT system. At first, three challenges of resonant converter design are identified: I. moving resonant frequency under variable coupling condition; II. voltage controllability under load change; III. complicated system control with coupling between multiple coils. CLCL-LC resonant converter is proposed to solve all the challenges and provide zero voltage switching (ZVS) operation for primary device at resonant frequency. A 6.78MHz CLCL-LC resonant converter for omnidirectional WPT system is built and tested.
Review of local wound management for scleroderma-associated digital ulcers.

Digital ulcers (DU) are a common clinical problem in systemic sclerosis (SSc); however, there is no standardization of local wound care protocols for management of these lesions. There is a well-re...
The Difference of Feminist Philosophy: The Case of Shame

This essay is written in two parts. The first is a commentary on the affective politics of philosophy as a discipline. The theme here is philosophy’s reverence problem, an affective bond to the teacher and the text, which is threatened or even injured by feminist philosophy. Feminist philosophy emerges as disruptive irreverence in the midst of the discipline, and injured reverence becomes a powerful prereflective motivation for resistance to feminist thought. The second part of the essay is an exploration of the field of inquiry called feminist phenomenology. Is feminist phenomenology simply phenomenology from another point of view, that of the embodied female subject? Is it conducted, in other words, in a space beyond politics and power where the difference of this subject discloses values and meanings that have not yet been thematized in phenomenological inquiry, but which phenomenology is already competent to pursue? Or does feminist phenomenology disrupt or transform phenomenological practice as we traditionally understand it? In this paper, I claim that phenomenology must be critical in order to be feminist, that it must disrupt phenomenological practice rather than simply “applying” it to a new object, “woman.” In the work of Simone de Beauvoir we find a different phenomenological practice that feminists can count as a positive inheritance. The real difference of feminist phenomenology, however, only emerges in the practice itself. In order to capture something about this difference I take the phenomenon of shame as a case study, and compare three recent phenomenological accounts of shame.
Gaussian Random Processes

There are several types of random processes that have found wide application because of their realistic physical modeling yet relative mathematical simplicity. In this and the next two chapters we describe these important random processes. They are the Gaussian random process, the subject of this chapter; the Poisson random process, described in Chapter 21; and the Markov chain, described in Chapter 22. Concentrating now on the Gaussian random process, we will see that it has many important properties. These properties have been inherited from those of the N-dimensional Gaussian PDF, which was discussed in Section 14.3.
Pandora’s Box: The Consequences of Low Self-Control into Adulthood

The current chapter evaluates the long-term consequences of low self-control in a broad, transdisciplinary way that demonstrates the stable, enduring, and unmistakable course of self-regulation from infancy through late adulthood. The long-term consequences of self-control are relatively stable across life, such that those with high levels of self-control benefit from it throughout their life, and those with low self-control display its negative features over their life span. I demonstrate the continuity of self-control by utilizing three relatively distinct literatures: (1) criminological research that articulates how self-control deficits contribute to antisocial development and criminal justice system noncompliance, (2) longitudinal research that explores the developmental course of self-control/self-regulation constructs across life stages, and (3) personality psychology research that sheds light on the stability and continuity of constructs directly relevant to self-control.
On the Argument from Physics and General Relativity

I argue that the best interpretation of the general theory of relativity (GTR) has need of a causal entity (i.e., the gravitational field), and causal structure that is not reducible to light cone structure. I suggest that this causal interpretation of GTR helps defeat a key premise in one of the most popular arguments for causal reductionism, viz., the argument from physics.
An Improved Bound for the Affine Sylvester Problem.

In 2006, Lenchner and Bronnimann showed that in the affine plane, given n lines, not all parallel and not all passing through a common point, there had to be at least n6 ordinary points. The present paper improves on this result to show that there must be at least 2n−3 7 ordinary points, except for a single arrangement of 6 lines with one ordinary point.
Delivering care in a non-health-care space.

Justice system laws and policies create circumstances within prisons that do not allow for adequate medical care and other rehabilitative services to be provided for inmates. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Histopathology of the Basal Forebrain and its Targets in Alzheimer Dementia

The age-old problem of senility has been the subject of increasing scientific inquiry in recent years and for a good reason. When the proportion of aged individuals in a population rises, as is currently the situation in many Western societies, so does the incidence of age-related disorders. Prominent among these maladies have been diseases of the Alzheimer type, which have been estimated to account for approximately 60% of all senile dementias and for the vast majority of presenile dementias (Schneck et al., 1982). Although a “unified theory,” if such exists, of the etiology of Alzheimer dementias has yet to emerge, reasearch efforts have focused on various causal factors including increased aluminum concentrations in affected neurons, the presence of immunoglobulins, possible slow virus and/or subviral (prion) encephalopathies, microvasculature derangements, genetic susceptability, and involvement of specific neurotransmitter systems (for review, see Wurtman, 1985). In this report, we will concentrate on the role of one set of transmitter systems in the brain, namely those using acetylcholine as a chemical messenger, in the pathogenesis of Alzheimerfs disease (AD, clinical onset of symptoms before age 65) and senile dementia of the Alzheimer type (SDAT, clinical onset of symptoms at age 65 or later). In particular, we will consider the relationships between pathologic involvement of the basal forebrain cholinergic system in AD/SDAT and certain aspects of the clinical and classic neuropathologic profiles of those two disorders.
Qualitative Analysis of Well-being Preparedness at an Emergency Medicine Residency Program.

Author(s): Diller, David; Osterman, Jessica; Tabatabai, Ramin | Abstract: Introduction: There is significant variability in the preparedness of incoming interns at the start of residency training with regard to medical knowledge, procedural skills, and attitudes. Specialty-specific preparatory courses aimed at improving clinical skills exist; however, no preparatory courses targeting wellness promotion or burnout prevention have previously been described. Resident well-being has gained increasing attention from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, and numerous studies have demonstrated high levels of burnout among resident physicians. The American Medical Association (AMA) divides resident well-being into the following six categories: nutrition, fitness, emotional health, financial health, preventative care, and mindset and behavioral adaptability. Using the AMA’s conceptual framework for well-being in residency, we performed a targeted needs assessment to support the development of a “pre-residency” well-being curriculum. Our aim was to discover what current residents and faculty felt were the perceived areas of under-preparedness, in relation to resident well-being, for incoming interns at the start of their residency training.Methods: Using a grounded theory approach, we conducted a series of semi-structured, focus group interviews. Focus groups consisted of junior residents (postgraduate years [PGY] 1-3), senior residents (PGY-4), and current faculty members. A standardized interview guide was used to prompt discussion and themes were identified from audio recording. We modified theories based on latent and manifest content analysis, and we performed member checking and an external audit to improve validity.Results: Participants noted variable exposure to both formal and informal well-being training prior to residency. Regardless, participants uniformly agreed that their past experiences did not adequately prepare them for the challenges, specific to burnout prevention, faced during residency training. Of the six domains of resident well-being described by the AMA, emotional health, mindset and behavioral adaptability, and financial health were the domains most cited for interns to be underprepared for at the start of residency training.Conclusion: Despite variability in prior medical school and life experiences, incoming interns were underprepared in several domains of well-being, including emotional health, mindset and behavioral adaptability, and financial health. Targeted interventions toward these areas of well-being should be piloted and studied further for their potential to mitigate effects of burnout among resident physicians.
An Investigation of Silver-Nanoparticle-Laden Lubricants for Electrical Contacts

Electrical contacts are critically important for a wide variety of applications, including computing, automotive, manufacturing, and renewable energy technologies. Due to a combination of vibrations and environmental conditions, these contacts are often susceptible to fretting corrosion and other wear mechanisms. In many cases, it is not possible to design a stable dry contact system that is also within cost restraints. Therefore, lubricants are often employed. Liquid lubricants can reduce wear, but cause problems due to the nonconductive nature of typical lubricants. If a film develops between the surfaces due to tribofilm formation, lubricant degradation, or hydrodynamic lift, this can result in an increase in the electrical contact resistance. Fairly recently, researchers have explored the use of nanoparticles to enhance the friction and wear properties of lubricants. Some of the nanoparticles are metallic and could also improve the conductivity of the lubricant within an electrical contact. In this paper, the performance of silver-nanoparticle-laden dodecane lubricants is observed relative to pure dodecane and zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate-enhanced dodecane. These results suggest that the nanoparticles produce a reduced and more stable contact resistance while also reducing friction and wear.
Relapsed NPM1 mutated acute myeloid leukemia with PDGFRA rearrangement

![Figure][1] A 40-year-old woman was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with diploid cytogenetics. Molecular studies were positive for NPM1 p.W288fs, FLT-3 p.N676K, and FLT-3 p.D835V mutations (variant allele frequency [VAF], 37%, 5%, and 17%, respectively). Postchemotherapy, she
Transactive Control Design for Commercial Buildings to Provide Demand Response

Abstract Transactive control is a new type of distributed control strategy that is designed to engage various self-interested distributed energy resources such as controllable loads, distributed generators, and energy storage for providing demand response. In this paper, a novel transactive control design is proposed for commercial buildings to coordinate the electricity demand of the package rooftop air conditioning units (RTUs) for demand response. Such a control is realized by introducing a local relationship between the temperature setpoint and the market clearing price. With the proposed market-based control, the demand of individual RTUs is adjusted by changing their temperature setpoints in response to the market clearing price. Two different scenarios of demand response are considered herein. One is to limit the peak demand of commercial buildings, in which a new market clearing strategy based on proportional-integral-derivative control with respect to the demand limit is proposed. The other one is to perform price responsive control, in which the total demand of commercial buildings responds to the real-time pricing. The proposed transactive strategy is also tested and demonstrated on a real occupied building located in the eastern Washington State, U.S. The field testing results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed transactive control for commercial building with RTUs to provide demand response.
Regulation of Calbindin-D28K Gene Expression

Calbindin belongs to the calmodulin family of intracellular calcium modulated proteins that reversibly bind calcium in the micromolar range (Van Eldik et al, 1982). Since the discovery of avian intestinal calbindin-D28k (Wasserman and Taylor, 1966) similar calcium binding proteins have been reported in other species and in many other tissues including kidney pancreas and brain (Christakos et al, 1989), suggesting multiple effects of the vitamin D endocrine system. This chapter will focus on the regulation of mammalian calbindin-D28k. The tissue specificity and regulation by 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) of calbindin will be addressed as well as receptor regulation as a possible mechanism for modulating calbindin’s response to hormone. In addition, the regulation of calbindin by factors other than 1,25(OH)2D3 will be considered.
The adhesion modulation domain of Caenorhabditis elegans α-catenin regulates actin binding during morphogenesis

The adhesion modulation domain (AMD) of Caenorhabditis elegans α-catenin is examined. Although the AMD has been known to modulate the function of the cadherin/catenin complex, one reason why is sho...
Influence of Internet-Based Messages and Personal Motivations on Water-Use Decisions

AbstractThis research investigates motives behind individual willingness to conserve water and if media messages can promote sustainable behaviors. Experiment 1 (n = 143) assessed water conservatio...
Accurate Torque Pulsation Estimation and Reduction of IPMSMs for any Operating Point

In this paper, a method to estimate the torque pulsation of IPMSMs is proposed. The method is based on an analytical torque equation of IPMSMs derived by using the concepts of energy and co-energy of a magnetic circuit. This method is valid and accurate for any operating point, including that under heavy magnetic saturation. In addition, using the estimation results, a method to reduce the torque pulsation is also proposed. Simulation and experimental results show that the proposed methods, for both the estimation and reduction, are valid, accurate and effective.
Identifying subgroups: Part 1: Patterns among cross-sectional data

Non-experimental designs are common in nursing and allied health research wherein study participants often represent more than a single population or interest. Hence, methods used to identify subgroups and explore heterogeneity have become popular. Latent class mixture modeling is a versatile and person-centered analytic strategy that allows us to study questions about subgroups within samples. In this article, a worked example of latent class mixture modeling is presented to help expose researchers to the nuances of this analytic strategy.
Effects of auditory reliability and ambiguous visual stimuli on auditory spatial discrimination

The brain combines information from multiple sensory modalities to interpret the environment. Multisensory integration is often modeled by ideal Bayesian causal inference, a model proposing that perceptual decisions arise from a statistical weighting of information from each sensory modality based on its reliability and relevance to the observer9s task. However, ideal Bayesian causal inference fails to describe human behavior in a simultaneous auditory spatial discrimination task in which spatially aligned visual stimuli improve performance despite providing no information about the correct response. This work tests the hypothesis that humans weight auditory and visual information in this task based on their relative reliabilities, even though the visual stimuli are task-uninformative, carrying no information about the correct response, and should be given zero weight. Listeners perform an auditory spatial discrimination task with relative reliabilities modulated by the stimulus durations. By comparing conditions in which task-uninformative visual stimuli are spatially aligned with auditory stimuli or centrally located (control condition), listeners are shown to have a larger multisensory effect when their auditory thresholds are worse. Even in cases in which visual stimuli are not task-informative, the brain combines sensory information that is scene-relevant, especially when the task is difficult due to unreliable auditory information.
Creating a Support Program for NICU Fathers: A Pilot Study

Background: Few studies have examined the support needs of fathers with an infant admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The data from studies that have examined the unique support needs of parents in the NICU primarily represent information from mothers. Consequently, many support mechanisms are designed to optimally support the mother. This qualitative study therefore examined the support needs of fathers of infants in a level III NICU to determine their …
Market Interpretation of ISO 9000 Registration

Since 1990, many U.S. firms have registered under the provisions of the ISO 9000 standard. Meeting the demanding qualifications of this registration requires the expenditure of considerable time and money. To this point, the justification offered has been put in terms of management commitment to quality, cost reduction, or opening new markets, particularly international markets. We contribute by examining the reaction of the firms' stock price to the announcement of ISO 9000 registration. We find that for the smallest firms, ISO 9000 registration is regarded as positive information by investors. We also find that the market reaction to ISO 9000 registration is sensitive to the signing of the Maastricht Treaty in 1992.
Childhood Immunization Reporting Laws in the United States: Current Status

Context: Immunization Information Systems (IIS), or registries, were developed to improve effectiveness and efficiency in immunization services. Complex laws that govern IIS and immunization records are developed at the state-level, interact with each other, and may impact utility for all immunization stakeholders. As states develop Health Information Exchange laws they may also interact with IIS laws. Objectives: To provide immunization stakeholders an overview of the laws applicable to healthcare providers and health departments. Comparisons are provided to illustrate the trends since the previous studies. Methods: IIS relevant statutes, regulations and ordinances of jurisdictions (states, large cities) of 56 “Grantees” receiving funding under the 317b Public Health Service Act were identified via legal databases then systematically reviewed for authorization, reporting and consent requirements. Key provisions were coded and mapped according to 131 variables. Results: Including subsections, 984 laws across Grantees relate to immunization records, falling under many administrative sections of state and city government. Most Grantees have more than one law that addresses immunization records reporting, exchange and privacy protections. Not all of these laws are in alignment, but there is a trend toward increased Grantee IIS authorizing laws, mandated reporting and implied consent provisions. Of the 56 Grantees, 37 (66%) had IIS authorizing laws, and 46 (82%) had laws addressing healthcare provider and vital statistics reporting. However, much variation remains, even within the provisions of these laws. The coding instrument received 93.7% agreement and a K-α of 0.791. Conclusions: The trend toward laws that encourage participation should continue to improve functionality and value, but inconsistencies among laws should be addressed, both across jurisdictions within states and between different states. They may impair the value of the information that is collected. Greater uniformity could improve the overall usefulness of IIS.
Values of User Exploration in Recommender Systems

Reinforcement Learning (RL) has been sought after to bring next-generation recommender systems to further improve user experience on recommendation platforms. While the exploration-exploitation tradeoff is the foundation of RL research, the value of exploration in (RL-based) recommender systems is less well understood. Exploration, commonly seen as a tool to reduce model uncertainty in regions of sparse user interaction/feedback, is believed to cost user experience in the short term, while the indirect benefit of better model quality arrives at a later time. We focus on another aspect of exploration, which we refer to as user exploration to help discover new user interests, and argue it can improve user experience even in the more imminent term. We examine the role of user exploration in changing different facets of recommendation quality that more directly impact user experience. To do so, we introduce a series of methods inspired by exploration research in RL to increase user exploration in an RL-based recommender system, and study their effect on the end recommendation quality, more specifically, on accuracy, diversity, novelty and serendipity. We propose a set of metrics to measure (RL based) recommender systems in these four aspects and evaluate the impact of exploration-induced methods against these metrics. In addition to the offline measurements, we conduct live experiments on an industrial recommendation platform serving billions of users to showcase the benefit of user exploration. Moreover, we use conversion of casual users to core users as an indicator of the holistic long-term user experience and study the values of user exploration in helping platforms convert users. Through offline analyses and live experiments, we study the correlation between these four facets of recommendation quality and long term user experience, and connect serendipity to improved long term user experience.
Communication in Palliative Care

This chapter explores palliative care communication between clinicians and their patients with advanced lung diseases. Individuals living with advanced lung disease experience high morbidity and mortality leading to significant palliative care needs. Despite significant palliative care needs, data suggests the frequency, timing, and quality of palliative care communication between clinicians and this population are poor. Empiric evidence demonstrates the importance of palliative care communication in effectively caring for seriously ill patients. Patients, family members, and the healthcare system stand to benefit when these needs are adequately addressed. In response to accumulating data, medical societies, such as the American Thoracic Society, recommend that clinicians who care for patients with chronic or advanced respiratory diseases should be trained in, and capable of, providing recommended basic competencies in palliative care which include communication in goals of care and symptom management. Herein, the authors consider barriers to effective communication including challenges with prognostication, fear of causing harm or provoking an emotional response, lack of comfort with necessary skills, and fragmentation of the healthcare system.
Fair Housing Act

This article contains the remarks of Judge Lazer at Touro Law Center’s annual “The Supreme Court and Local Government Law” symposium. Judge Lazer analyzes the Court’s decision in City of Edmonds v. Oxford House, Inc., noting that this case sustains the Fair Housing Act provision against discrimination and defeats an effort to use the exemption contained in the Act as a means of escape from the provision prohibiting discrimination against handicapped persons.
Purification and properties of an acetoacetyl coenzyme A-reacting phosphotransbutyrylase from Clostridium beijerinckii ("Clostridium butylicum") NRRL B593.

Abstract During the study of acetoacetyl coenzyme A (CoA)-reacting enzymes of Clostridium beijerinckii NRRL B593, a phosphate-dependent acetoacetyl-CoA-utilizing activity was detected in protein fractions devoid of thiolase and phosphotransacetylase. Further purification of this acetoacetyl-CoA-utilizing activity yielded an enzyme which may be designated as phosphotransbutyrylase (PTB; phosphate butyryltransferase [EC 2.3.1.19]). PTB from C. beijerinckii NRRL B593 was purified 160-fold with a yield of 14% and, with the best fractions, purified 190-fold to near homogeneity. It showed a native Mr of 205,000 and a subunit Mr of 33,000. PTB activity was sensitive to pH changes within the physiological range of 6 to 8. PTB exhibited a broad substrate specificity. The Km values at pH 7.5 for butyryl-CoA, acetoacetyl-CoA, and acetyl-CoA were 0.04, 1.10, and 3.33 mM, respectively. The Vmax values with butyryl-CoA and acetoacetyl-CoA were comparable, but the Vmax/Km was higher for butyryl-CoA than for acetoacetyl-CoA. An apparent Km of 6.5 mM for phosphate was obtained with butyryl-CoA as the cosubstrate, whereas it was 12.9 mM with acetoacetyl-CoA as the cosubstrate. It remains to be established whether the putative compound acetoacetyl phosphate is produced in the PTB-catalyzed reaction with acetoacetyl-CoA.
Three-dimensional echocardiographic evaluation of the Fontan conduit for thrombus.

Introduction: Total caval pulmonary connection (Fontan circuit) is the final common pathway for the palliation of single ventricle congenital heart disease. Flow within the Fontan circuit results in an environment that is prone to thrombus formation putting the patient at risk for pulmonary and/or systemic embolus. To prevent these problems, patients are placed on antithrombotic therapy and periodically evaluated for thrombus within the conduit. Two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography, although commonly used to evaluate these patients, has been shown to have limited ability in accurately identifying thrombi within the Fontan conduit. The diagnosis of intracardiac thrombi has been augmented by three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography and the patients in this series were evaluated with 3D imaging (3D transthoracic echocardiography and/or 3D transesophageal echocardiography) to determine if thrombi could be detected or excluded within the Fontan conduit. To the author's knowledge, this constitutes the first case series describing the use of 3D echocardiography to evaluate the Fontan conduit for thrombus. Methods: The four patients described in this case series underwent 3D echocardiography to evaluate the Fontan conduit for a suspected or potential thrombus. Results: The Fontan conduit was imaged and thrombi were felt to be documented or excluded in all four patients with 3D echocardiography. Conclusions: Three-dimensional echocardiography may enhance the ability to detect or exclude thrombi within the Fontan conduit. Further studies are needed to determine if this will prove to be an effective and reliable technique in evaluating the Fontan conduit for thrombus. (Echocardiography 2012;29:363-368)
Derivation of human embryonic stem cells in standard and chemically defined conditions.

Publisher Summary This chapter presents stepwise methodology using different conditions and techniques to promote the derivation and maintenance of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), including conditions that support the culture of human blastocysts and the basic characterization of newly established lines. Researchers need to be well acquainted with the legal and ethical standards governing their countries, states, and institutions. Derivation of hESCs requires approval from an authorized institutional review board. The hESCs are derived from the inner cell mass of in vitro fertilized embryos, which are donated after consent from both maternal and paternal gametes. Derivation and subsequent maintenance of hESCs are described using numerous conditions, including a variety of growth substrates and several types of feeder and nonfeeder systems. Recently, progress has been made toward deriving hESCs using chemically defined, xeno-free media, which may expedite further therapeutic approaches.
Planted clique detection below the noise floor using low-rank sparse PCA

Detection of clusters and communities in graphs is useful in a wide range of applications. In this paper we investigate the problem of detecting a clique embedded in a random graph. Recent results have demonstrated a sharp detectability threshold for a simple algorithm based on principal component analysis (PCA). Sparse PCA of the graph's modularity matrix can successfully discover clique locations where PCA-based detection methods fail. In this paper, we demonstrate that applying sparse PCA to low-rank approximations of the modularity matrix is a viable solution to the planted clique problem that enables detection of small planted cliques in graphs where running the standard semidefinite program for sparse PCA is not possible.
Folic acid-dependent enzymes involved in one-carbon metabolism

The vitamin, folic acid (pteroylglutamic acid)***, is converted to its coenzyme form, 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolic acid1, by a relatively simple process involving a reduction in the pyrazine ring. The coenzyme, in turn, participates in metabolic reactions1–5 as a carrier of one-carbon (C1) units at the oxidation states of formate, formaldehyde, and methanol.
Extended Power Uprates and 2-yr Cycles for BWRs - Where Do We Go from Here?

Boiling water reactors (BWRs) in the United States have transitioned over the past 30 yrfrom 7 × 7 and 8 X 8 fuels, 12-month cycles, and batch average burnups of 30GWd/tonne U to 10 × 10 fuel, 18- to 24-month cycles, batch average bumups of 50 GWd/tonne U, and 5% power uprates in the 1990s. The next step for BWRs in the new millennium is 24-month cycles and extended power uprates as high as 120% power. These operating conditions lead to large reload fuel batch sizes (up to 45% of the core) that result in lower batch average discharge burnups (∼45 GWd/tonne U). Parameters driving the drop in fuel burnup include enrichment limitations and the need for fuel performance improvements. The next steps to achieve better BWR fuel cycle economics and their associated benefits and implementation challenges are discussed in this paper.
The potential for agricultural land use change to reduce flood risk in a large watershed

Effects of agricultural land management practices on surface runoff are evident at local scales, but evidence for watershed-scale impacts is limited. In this study, we used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool model to assess changes in downstream flood risks under different land uses for the large, intensely agricultural, Raccoon River watershed in Iowa. We first developed a baseline model for flood risk based on current land use and typical weather patterns and then simulated the effects of varying levels of increased perennials on the landscape under the same weather patterns. Results suggest that land use changes in the Raccoon River could reduce the likelihood of flood events, decreasing both the number of flood events and the frequency of severe floods. The duration of flood events were not substantially affected by land use change in our assessment. The greatest flood risk reduction was associated with converting all cropland to perennial vegetation, but we found that converting half of the land to perennial vegetation or extended rotations (and leaving the remaining area in cropland) could also have major effects on reducing downstream flooding potential. We discuss the potential costs of adopting the land use change in the watershed to illustrate the scale of subsidies required to induce large-scale conversion to perennially based systems needed for flood risk reduction. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
IDENTIFICATION OF URINE SPECIMEN DONORS BY THE PM DQA1 AMPLIFICATION AND TYPING KIT

We evaluated the ability to genotype DNA extracted from urine samples, which were previously submitted for toxicological analysis, by either the AmpliType HLA DQ alpha or the combined PM+DQA1 amplification and typing systems. Initial experiments were conducted on fresh urine, which was either processed fresh or frozen for one week at -20 degrees C, from male and female volunteers. Although male urine is noted for containing minimal numbers of nucleated cells when compared with female urine, we were able to type these samples without difficulty. Male urine specimens that were stored frozen for one year in the Toxicology Laboratory provided sources of low concentration, poor quality genomic DNA with respect to degradation of nucleic acid. These samples, however, were also easily typed using the amplification typing kits. Our data, therefore, suggest that the PM+DQA1 amplification and typing systems described here are suitable for typing analysis of donor urine specimens.