cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of incipient motion for sediment transport of mining waste rock using critical shear stress analysis

There have been concerns that excess sediment load of mining waste rock, also known as chat, into nearby alluvial streams with which have increased flooding risks due to the aggradation and destabilisation of the channel. The goal of this project was to gain a better understanding of the conditions required for fluvial transport and assess the frequency at which those conditions were met. Before this goal could be achieved at field-scale, and the initial objective of determining the critical shear stress required for initiation of fluvial transport of chat, was identified. To determine the critical shear stress required for initiation of transport, a bench-scale laboratory experiment was done in a hydraulic flume with chat collected from an impacted stream viz., Tar Creek, Oklahoma, USA. The empirical critical shear stress required for transport was slightly less than values suggested for general use of sediment transport. This difference is shown to be due to angular characteristics of the chat. The impact of this study and determination of critical shear stress enables the development and calibration of hydraulic and sediment transport modelling of cherty mining waste rock.
Investigation on exposure to manganese in welding enterprises of Qingpu District in Shanghai

[Objective]To understand the concentrations of manganese exposure in workplaces of welding enterprises of Qingpu District in Shanghai, provide basic information for preventing and controlling the harm from the exposure to manganese. [Methods] 68 welding workers were selected from 24 manganese-related enterprises by stratified random sampling method. The samples were collected by personal long time sampling method,and the concentration of manganese was determined by flame atomicabsorption spectrometry method. [Results]The concentrations of manganese exposure in 21(30.88%) samples exceeded the national occupational exposure limit. The qualified rate of concentrations of manganese exposure in workers whose exposure times were less than or equal to 4 hours reached 100%,while only 66.67% of the workers whose exposure times were more than 4 hours had the qualified results in concentrations of manganese exposure. The qualified rate of time weighted average concentration(TWA)of manganese in high manganese soldering material group(51.55%)was lower then that in low manganese soldering material group(88.57%)significantly(χ2=12.787,P=0.000). The average TWA of manganese in high manganese soldering material group was0.193 mg/m3,which was 4.9 times as much as that in the low manganese soldering material group(Z =-4.785,P =0.000).[Conclusion]Long-time welding and using high manganese soldering material cause serious occupational hazard of manganese.The enterprises should strengthen the ventilation in welding workplaces,use low manganese soldering material,shorten the continuous welding hours,and improve the individual protection,to prevent the manganese poisoning.
On the error probability of frequency-hopped spread-spectrum multiple-access systems with more than one code symbols per dwell interval

The author considers the multiple-access capability of an asynchronous, frequency-hopped spread-spectrum (FH-SS) communication system employing error-correcting codes. He computes the average packet (code-word) error probability induced in such a system, when more than one code symbol is contained per dwell interval, and when the (32,16), (64,32) or extended Reed-Solomon codes are used for the encoding of the packets. Furthermore, some comparisons are made with previous results for FH-SS systems employing one code symbol per dwell interval, and useful conclusions are drawn. >
The Impact of Restaurant Service Experience Valence and Purchase Involvement on Consumer Motivation and Intention to Engage in eWOM

ABSTRACTThis study examines how different service experiences lead to different motives and intention to spread eWOM (electronic word-of-mouth), focusing on the antecedent roles of restaurant service experience valence and purchase involvement. The findings reveal that consumers are motivated to spread eWOM for self-, other-, and company-focused reasons, and that experience valence and purchase involvement significantly impact such motives. Our findings suggest that highly involved customers have more intentions to provide eWOM following negative experiences and that customers receiving negative experience hope to influence companies through eWOM. This article adds to the body of scholarly research related to eWOM by identifying purchase involvement and service experience as significant antecedents of motivation to provide online reviews.
A study of design/process dependence of 0.25 /spl mu/m gate length CMOS

We investigate the design/process dependence of a 0.25 /spl mu/m gate length CMOS technology and evaluate performance (including I/sub drive/ vs. I/sub off/, I/sub drive/ at the onset of subthreshold 2/sup nd/ slope, inverse-short-channel effect) and reliability (channel hot electron lifetime, gate-induced drain leakage, and ESD related thermal, or 2/sup nd/ breakdown). Increased nMOS I/sub drive/ before onset of subthreshold 2/sup nd/ slope (resulting from sub-surface S/D punch-through) is realized with increased As S/D anneal temperature and is correlated with reduced inverse-short-channel effect (i-SCE: measure of increase in V/sub T/ with decreasing L/sub gate/). Improved nMOS I/sub drive/ vs. I/sub off/ is additionally achieved (at same R/sub SD/) using S/D with As only compared to P LDD and is correlated with reduced sub-surface punch-through. Use of RTA annealing to 1000/spl deg/C reduces i-SCE for non-LDD nMOS as well as increasing pMOS C/sub invC/sub ox/ to /spl ges/90% at t/sub ox/=50 /spl Aring/. (comparable to nMOSFET). nMOS ESD reliability (as measured by I/sub t2/: drain current at ESD related 2/sup nd/ breakdown) is increased with optimum S/D anneal and with As only S/D. nMOS pocket implant reduces V/sub T/ rolloff and maintains hot carrier reliability and I/sub t2/ while marginally increasing C/sub j/. Use of nMOS pocket implant and pMOS super-steep retrograde channel implant improve the V/sub T/ rolloff but do not show significant improvement in I/sub drive/ vs. I/sub off/. A design/process has been implemented which results in a high performance CMOS technology consistent with industry trend as measured using a figure-of-merit metric. >
Local anesthesia in traditional and minimally invasive approach to the parathyroid

Background: The advantage of minimally invasive parathyroidectomy and the cost saving associated with outpatient surgery has led to an increased interest in local or local/regional anesthesia.
Abstract 1218: A biological crosstalk between p53 and MYCN/MYC in neuroblastoma

Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA We previously showed that TSA (an HDAC inhibitor) and Epoxomycin (a proteasome inhibitor) as single agents and in combination significantly suppressed growth of MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cells. However, these compounds had contrasting effects on MYCN expression. TSA down-regulated MYCN expression, but Epoxomycin and the TSA/Epoxomycin combination led to MYCN hyper-expression (defined as markedly increased expression beyond that observed in the untreated cells). The expression of p53 was also increased in MYCN-amplified cells treated with Epoxomycin or the TSA/Epoxomycin combination. In an independent study, we also found that treatment of neuroblastoma cells (MYCN-amplified or non-MYCN amplified) with 17-DMAG and S(+) Ibuprofen resulted in an increase in p53 expression and a reduction in MYCN or MYC expression. In this study, we examined (i) the pattern of gene expression induced by MYCN hyper-expression in MYCN-amplified cells, and (ii) a potential functional relationship between p53 and MYCN/MYC in neuroblastoma. Transient transfection of MYCN and TP53 into neuroblastoma cells was done by electroporation. Gene expression profiling, TaqMan real-time PCR, and Western blot assays were used to detect expression patterns of genes and proteins. It was observed that ectopic over MYCN expression in MYCN-amplified IMR5 cells resulted in growth suppression. Gene expression profiling analysis revealed that the hyper-expression of MYCN in the MYCN-transfected IMR5 cells led to an increased expression of genes involved in growth suppression and apoptosis, including EGR1, EPHA2, KLF2, PERP and SEL1L. The expression of PERP and EPHA2 was confirmed by TaqMan real-time PCR and Western blot assay, respectively. Interestingly, co-transfection of TP53 and MYCN in IMR5 cells led to high p53 expression but a reduction in MYCN expression (below the levels of endogenous MYCN). Transfection of TP53 into IMR5, SY5Y, and SKNAS reduced endogenous MYCN and MYC expression in these cells. Consistent with these observations, treatment of IMR5 and SY5Y cells with known p53-inducers, Doxorubicin and CoCl2, resulted in an increased p53 expression and a reduction of MYCN and MYC expression. Although high MYCN expression sustains growth of MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma, the hyper-expression of MYCN is deleterious to survival of these cells. In addition, augmented p53 expression may elicit a negative feedback regulation of MYCN/MYC expression in neuroblastoma. Citation Format: Naohiko Ikegaki, Xao Tang. A biological crosstalk between p53 and MYCN/MYC in neuroblastoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 1218. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-1218
Novel Cell-Penetrating Peptides Overcome Endosomal Escape and Deliver Protein Cargos into the Cell

Over the last decade a number of peptides that are rapidly internalized by mammalian cells have been discovered or designed. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are capable of mediating penetration of...
The Probabilities of Might Counterfactuals

In this paper it is argued that Lewis' account of mgiht counterfactuals and his accouint of the probabilites of counterfactuals lead to a result that is a t odds with the way in which might counterfaxtuals operate in ordinary language.
The Impact of 3-Option Responses to Multiple-Choice Questions on Guessing Strategies and Cut Score Determinations.

Introduction: Research has asserted MCQ items using threeresponse options (one correct answer with two distractors) iscomparable to, and possibly preferable over, traditional MCQitem formats consisting of four response options (e.g., one correctanswer with three distractors), or five response options (e.g., onecorrect answer with four distractors). Some medical educatorshave also adopted the practice of using 3-option responseson MCQ exams as a response to the difficulty experienced ingenerating additional plausible distractors. To date, however,little work has explored how 3-option responses might impactvalidity threats stemming from random guessing strategies,and what impact 3-option responses might have on cut-scoredeterminations, particularly in the context of medical educationclassroom assessments. The purpose of this work is to furtherexplore these critically important considerations that largely havegone ignored in the medical education literature to this point.Methods: A cumulative binomial distribution formula was usedto calculate the probability that an examinee will answer atrandom a given number of items correctly on any exam (of anylength). By way of a demonstration, a variety of scenarios werepresented to illustrate how examination length and the number ofresponse options impact examinees’ chances of passing a givenexamination, and how subsequent cut-score decisions may beimpacted by these factors.Results: As a general rule, classroom assessments containingfewer items should utilize traditional 4-option or 5-optionresponses, whereas assessments of greater length are affordedgreater flexibility in potentially utilizing 3-option responses.Conclusions: More research on items with 3-option responses isneeded to better understand what value, if any, 3-option responsestruly add to classroom assessments, and in what contexts potentialbenefits might be discernible.Keywords: Medical education; Assessment; Evaluation; Psychometrics
Fast Detection of Compressively Sensed IR Targets Using Stochastically Trained Least Squares and Compressed Quadratic Correlation Filters

Target detection of potential threats at night can be deployed on a costly infrared focal plane array with high resolution. Due to the compressibility of infrared image patches, the high resolution requirement could be reduced with target detection capability preserved. For this reason, a compressive midwave infrared imager (MWIR) with a low-resolution focal plane array has been developed. As the most probable coefficient indices of the support set of the infrared image patches could be learned from the training data, we develop stochastically trained least squares (STLS) for MWIR image reconstruction. Quadratic correlation filters (QCF) have been shown to be effective for target detection and there are several methods for designing a filter. Using the same measurement matrix as in STLS, we construct a compressed quadratic correlation filter (CQCF) employing filter designs for compressed infrared target detection. We apply CQCF to the U.S. Army Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate dataset. Numerical simulations show that the recognition performance of our algorithm matches that of the standard full reconstruction methods, but at a fraction of the execution time.
Neutrino astronomy: the Sun and beyond

Astronomers like to build telescopes on the tops of remote mountains where the sky is clear and there is no light pollution from nearby towns and cities. Neutrino astronomers are different. They have to work underground in mines and road tunnels, underwater and, in one experiment, deep in the ice under the South Pole. Despite these obstacles, however, neutrino astronomy has developed as an experimental science over the last three decades. Indeed, this fledgling discipline has already chalked up two of the most remarkable experimental discoveries of the past decade: the conclusive detection of solar neutrinos and the observation of neutrinos from a supernova.
Using smart clients to build scalable services

Individual machines are no longer sufficient to handle the offered load to many Internet sites. To use multiple machines for scalable performance, load balancing, fault transparency, and backward compatibility with URL naming must be addressed. A number of approaches have been developed to provide transparent access to multi-server Internet services including HTTP redirect, DNS aliasing, Magic Routers, and Active Networks. Recently however, portable Java code and lightly loaded client machines allow the migration of certain service functionality onto the client. In this paper, we argue that in many instances, a client-side approach to providing transparent access to Internet services provides increased flexibility and performance over the existing solutions. We describe the design and implementation of Smart Clients and show how our system can be used to provide transparent access to scalable and/or highly available network services, including prototypes for: telnet, FTP, and an Internet chat application.
Diagnostics of Laser Induced Plasma Dynamics in Gases and Liquids

A pulsed 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser-induced breakdown plasma in air at 760 Torr and in liquid (water) and in liquid-metal phase boundaries has been investigated experimentally and the results of measurements using fast gating high resolution laser shadowgraphy, two wavelength laser interferometry, Schlieren imaging and optical emission spectroscopy diagnostics will be presented. Effect of laser energies on the plasma formation, expansion and decay characteristics in air were studied and similarly the plasma and bubble formation and expansion were studied in water. The laser pulses were focused down to $\sim 5 -15$micron spot sizes and the resulting laser flux densities range from 4–14 TW/cm2. The detailed experimental arrangements and results will be presented. A 532 nm laser shadowgraphy coupled with high speed and high resolution image capturing diagnostics has been used to investigate spatio-temporal evolution and hydrodynamic behavior of the 1064 nm laser induced plasma and neutral density shock during the formation, expansion and collapsing stages in air. The active plasma lifetime through plasma selfluminescence measurements indicate variations from 200 – 500 ns for the three laser pulses. Shock propagation velocity and plasma volume for three laser pulse series indicate similarly shaped profiles at different expansion velocities. Early plasma expansion velocities of 20–25 km/s were measured and using Hugoniot relations the neutral shock pressures and temperatures were inferred and the results at the early plasma expansion stage were found to be over 1000 atmospheres and 4 eV. Updates on laser induced plasma breakdown and its resulting shockwave generation and bubble formation in water was also investigated and characterized. The updated results of these investigations will be presented. Two wavelength laser interferometry based plasma density measurements will be presented. Plasma temperature measurements using optical emission spectroscopy diagnostics will be presented. Preliminary results on numerical modeling of the laser induced plasma and shockwave expansion and decay dynamics will be presented in comparison with the experimental results.
Determination of the chemical compositions of heavy, medium, and light crude oils by using the Distillation, Precipitation, Fractionation Mass Spectrometry (DPF MS) method

Abstract We have previously demonstrated that the Distillation, Precipitation, Fractionation Mass Spectrometry (DPF MS) method can be used to characterize crude oil at the molecular level by fractionating the crude oil into six different chemical classes and analyzing each class by using an optimized mass spectrometry method. In this study, the chemical compositions of five crude oil samples, including heavy, medium, and light crude oils with different API gravities, were determined using the DPF MS method. The gravimetric weight percentages of the six compound classes within each crude oil sample were also determined. In general, the heavier crude oils contained more asphaltenes and heteroaromatic compounds and less heavy, alkyl aromatic and volatile saturated hydrocarbons than the lighter crude oils. However, the only correlation found for API gravity and the gravimetric weight percentages of the entire compound classes was for the heteroaromatic compound class: crude oils with lower API gravities contained more heteroaromatic compounds. Determination of the total nitrogen content by using a controlled combustion experiment revealed only a poor correlation between the total nitrogen content and API gravity. No obvious correlations were found between API gravity and the amounts of the compounds with different elemental compositions in the whole crude oils. However, consideration of differences in the chemical compositions within the different compound classes revealed trends related to the API gravity. For example, a linear correlation was found for the decrease in the API gravity and the increase in the gravimetric weight percentage of the most abundant nitrogen-containing compounds (with the CcHhN elemental composition) in the heteroaromatic compound class, the class that contains most of these compounds. On the other hand, as the API gravity decreases, the nitrogen content outside the aromatic cores (or in another aromatic core) of the compounds in the heteroaromatic compound class increases. Further, as the API gravity decreases, the extent of unsaturation increases for the compounds in the heteroaromatic compound class. These findings correlate the API gravity of crude oil to the chemical composition of the heteroaromatic compound class. No correlations were found between API gravity and the chemical compositions of the other compound classes or the whole crude oil.
Scout’s Visions of Sin; or, Why It Might Be Okay to Kill a Mockingbird after All

Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.– Atticus Finch, To Kill a MockingbirdThe aphorism that gives Harper Lee’s most famous novel its t...
Description of Patterns and Exploration of Risk Factors for Regret One Year After Hysterectomy: A Longitudinal Prospective Study

Study Objective To describe patterns of regret up to one year after hysterectomy and analyze associated risk factors Design Prospective cohort study, USPSTF II-2 Setting Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI Patients or Participants Women who had planned to have a hysterectomy for non-cancer reasons, were recruited via telephone. Interventions Before and after hysterectomy, patients were administered validated surveys. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) to measure depression severity. The Decision-Regret Scale for regret and the Comprehensive score for Financial Toxicity. Measurements and Main Results 459 women were enrolled, 91.9% completed questionnaires about their health and decision to have a hysterectomy within 14 days prior to surgery and at 3,6 and 12-months post-surgery. The latent class model investigated regret trajectories over time. Demographic and operative characteristics by latent class group were analyzed using Chi-squared test and one-way ANOVA. Of these hysterectomies, 28.5% were via abdominal route. Three groups were identified by their patterns of repeated measured of self-reported regret (p Important differences were found with regards to pain, depression, surgery satisfaction, insurance type, race and financial toxicity. Differences were however not found for route of surgery, BMI, age, length of stay, procedure duration, estimated blood loss, complications, concomitant oophorectomy, uterine weight, and indication for surgery. Conclusion This study emphasizes exploring pain and depression during preoperative counseling. Understanding that race, insurance type and financial toxicity may impact patient-perceived outcomes like regret after hysterectomy, could help reduce long-term regret after hysterectomy.
Queering Smart Decarceration: Centering the Experiences of LGBTQ+ Young People to Imagine a World Without Prisons:

Addressing mass incarceration through smart decarceration initiatives is one of the Grand Challenges for Social Work named by the American Academy of Social Work Welfare and Research. The exponenti...
Sticking it to KRAS: Covalent Inhibitors Enter the Clinic

Drugs that target KRAS 12C covalently, AMG 510 and MRTX849, are now in the clinic. Recent papers describe development of these compounds, their selectivity and properties, early clinical data, and potential combination therapies. These papers herald a new era in Ras research, with improved drugs and strategies certain to follow.
Modular access to formamide-tethered α-halo ynones via the deconstructive oxo-halogenation of readily available α-alkynyl eneformamides

Abstract Herein, we describe a chemoselective, regioselective, modular, and efficient deconstructive oxo-halogenation strategy, which skeletally remodels readily available cyclic α-alkynyl eneformamides into formamide-tethered α-halo ynones. This scaffold-hopping transformation furnishes diverse architectures that would be challenging to achieve through traditional disconnections.
The spatial distributions of pre-mRNAs suggest post-transcriptional splicing of specific introns within endogenous genes

Abstract Splicing is the molecular process by which introns are removed from pre-mRNA and exons are joined together to form the sequence of the mature mRNA. Measuring the timing of splicing relative to the transcription of nascent RNA has yielded conflicting interpretations. Biochemical fractionation suggests that RNA is spliced primarily during the process of transcription, but imaging of nascent RNA suggests that splicing happens after the process of transcription has been completed. We use single molecule RNA FISH together with expansion microscopy to measure the spatial distribution of nascent and partially spliced transcripts in mammalian cells, allowing us to infer the delay between when an intron is transcribed and when it is spliced out of a pre-mRNA. We show that 4 out of 4 genes we interrogated exhibit some post-transcriptional splicing, and that introns can be spliced in any order. We also show that completely synthesized RNA move slowly through a transcription site proximal zone while they undergo additional splicing and potentially other processing after transcription is completed. In addition, upon leaving this zone, some genes’ transcripts localize to speckles during the process of splicing but some appear to traffic freely through the nucleus without localizing to any other nuclear compartment. Taken together, our observations suggest that the regulation of the timing and localization of splicing is specific to individual introns, as opposed to the previously surmised immediate excision of introns after transcription.
Analysis of Lithium Niobate Memristor Devices for Neuromorphic Programability

This paper describes the fabrication and characterization process used to develop a series of lithium niobate memristors. A common approach for the development of memristor-based neuromorphic circuits is to store synaptic weight values within memristors as resistance states. Therefore, memristors for these systems must be stable, symmetric, and programmable with a significant bit resolution. In other words, a continuous resistance range must be available in these memristors to store the weight matrix produced by a learning algorithm. Furthermore, it is important to be able to iteratively program a target resistance through a number of feedback controlled voltage pulses as opposed to abruptly switching the device between two binary states. This paper describes the fabrication and characterization results for a set of six different memristor wafers. These results are used to decide which device composition is the best for neuromorphic computing applications through the properties of symmetry, reliability, stability, and programmability. Once the best device for neuromorphic programmability was selected, we also show the potential programming resolution available in this device using a voltage pulse characterization.
Ejaculatory Dysfunction in Patients Presenting to a Men's Health Clinic: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Abstract Introduction Prevalence and bother of ejaculatory dysfunction (EjD) has yet to be evaluated in a men's health referral population. Aim To evaluate the prevalence and associated risk factors of EjD in men presenting to a men's health clinic. Methods A retrospective review examined patients presenting to an outpatient men's health clinic who completed the Sexual Health Inventory for Men and the Male Sexual Health Questionnaire Ejaculatory Dysfunction (MSHQ-EjD) Short Form. Patient factors including demographics, comorbidities, and medication were examined. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression were used. Main Outcome Measures The main outcomes of this study are Sexual Health Inventory for Men and MSHQ-EjD scores. Results A total of 63 (24%) of patients presenting to the urology clinic were characterized as having EjD based on questionnaire responses. The mean age for men with EjD was 53.8 years, while those without was 42.6 years (P Conclusions EjD is common among patients presenting to a men's health clinic and may present at varying ages, though it is more common in those aged 50 years or older; it is independent of age and race. EjD is associated with erectile dysfunction, pelvic cancer history, and use of alpha inhibitors, presenting a population that could be considered for screening. Kasman AM, Bhambhvani HP, Eisenberg ML. Ejaculatory Dysfunction in Patients Presenting to a Men's Health Clinic: A Retrospective Cohort Study. J Sex Med 2020;8:454–460.
Recent Cerenkov maser experiments

Fundamental (TM 01 ) mode operation at 3 mm, and higher order mode operation at wavelengths below 1 mm, have been obtained in a recent series of Cerenkov maser experiments. Device performance will be compared with theoretical expectations.
Independent Calculation of Move Lists for Incumbent Protection in a Multi-SAS Shared Spectrum Environment

In the 3.5 GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS), secondary users are managed by spectrum access systems (SASs) to protect incumbents from interference. Current practice requires each SAS to exchange detailed user information with other SASs, and to use a common algorithm to suspend transmissions so that an aggregate interference percentile is below a predefined threshold. We propose a simplified method that utilizes a tight bound on the aggregate interference distribution. Simulation results show that the proposed approach trades off a marginal reduction in spectral efficiency to greatly simplify incumbent protection procedure, allowing each SAS to independently manage its users.
The Intersection of Problems, Policy, and Politics: The Adoption of an HPV Vaccine School-Entry Requirement in Puerto Rico.

Persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infections can cause cancer (e.g., cervical/vaginal/penile/anal/oropharyngeal). The HPV vaccine prevents cancer, yet U.S. vaccination rates remain low. We expl...
Generalized Permutation Framework for Testing Model Variable Significance

A common problem in machine learning is determining if a variable significantly contributes to a model's prediction performance. This problem is aggravated for datasets, such as gene expression datasets, that suffer the worst case of dimensionality: a low number of observations along with a high number of possible explanatory variables. In such scenarios, traditional methods for testing variable statistical significance or constructing variable confidence intervals do not apply. To address these problems, we developed a novel permutation framework for testing the significance of variables in supervised models. Our permutation framework has three main advantages. First, it is non-parametric and does not rely on distributional assumptions or asymptotic results. Second, it not only ranks model variables in terms of relative importance, but also tests for statistical significance of each variable. Third, it can test for the significance of the interaction between model variables. We applied this permutation framework to multi-class classification of the Iris flower dataset and of brain regions in RNA expression data, and using this framework showed variable-level statistical significance and interactions.
Beth Levine M.D. Prize in Autophagy Research.

Dear Colleagues,The UT Southwestern community continues to mourn the loss of Dr. Beth Levine – a renowned physician-scientist, dedicated and caring educator, mentor, respected colleague and friend....
AN INSTITUTIONAL APPROACH TO LABOR-RELATED HUMAN RIGHTS COMPLIANCE: A CASE OF FORCED LABOR IN NICARAGUA AND HONDURAS

This paper proposes a holistic institutional approach to provide insight into the policy reforms necessary to progressively achieve compliance with internationally recognized labor-related human rights. Drawing on institutions theory from political economy, the paper reframes international legal norms as holistic institutions, comprised of rules, social norms, and actual behaviors, the so-called rules of the game. In this way, problems in implementing labor-related human rights that may result in violations of international law are also considered as employment practices and, like other employment practices, are embedded in a web of formal and informal rules – institutions that govern work and employment. Based on the understanding that institutions contribute to violations, this holistic institutional approach also includes a framework to improve regulation and compliance based on Harold Koh's compliance theory from international law. The approach is illustrated using the example of forced obligatory overtime in textile assembly (maquilas) in Honduras and Nicaragua.
Early binding of feature pairs for visual perception.

If features such as color and orientation are processed separately by the brain at early stages1,2, how does the brain subsequently match the correct color and orientation? We found that spatially superposed pairings of orientation with either color or luminance could be reported even for extremely high rates of presentation, which suggests that these features are coded in combination explicitly by early stages, thus eliminating the need for any subsequent binding of information. In contrast, reporting the pairing of spatially separated features required rates an order of magnitude slower, suggesting that perceiving these pairs requires binding at a slow, attentional stage.
The Philosophy of Trade Protectionism, its Costs and its Implications

This article is divided into four sections. The first section is on the philosophy of protectionism and reviews several of the most commonly given reasons that have been used to justify protectionism over the past few hundred years. The author points out that these arguments generally support the producer's position, often to the detriment of consumers and the general public. Each argument is analyzed empirically and logically. The general conclusion is that the case against protectionism and in favor of free trade is strong from both an economic and liberal democratic perspective. Part two takes a look at the cost of protectionism, with emphasis on the case in the USA. The auto, steel, textile and agricultural industries are given special attention. Some nonmonetary costs often overlooked or ignored by many commentators are also discussed. These costs include the net deadweight employment loss, social harmony costs, reduced choice and the violation of rights that is inherent whenever consenting adults cannot trade. Part three examines antidumping policy in the USA from both a theoretical and practical viewpoint. After a review of the economic and legal background of the antidumping laws and a look at how they are administered, the author proceeds to examine the many problems inherent in the present policies, such as the many computational problems, the harmful effects of antidumping policy and the weakness of the predatory pricing argument. The section concludes with a discussion of the philosophy of antidumping policy and examines issues such as the ethics of using the law to batter the competition, the irrationality of antidumping as a policy, a rights approach to antidumping and the relationship between antidumping laws and the legitimate functions of government. Part four discusses the implications of United States protectionism for international trade in Europe. The author examines the options for trade policy in Europe, with emphasis on emerging market economies, from both the rights and utilitarian perspectives. The author concludes that, while total and immediate free trade is the best policy, policymakers may find it necessary, for practical reasons, to adopt a gradualist approach that involves temporary protection. Of the two options examined -- infant industry protection and unemployment payments -- the unemployment payment approach is the more efficient.
Competitive Growth of Microorganisms and Fluorescence Development on inoculated Chicken

SUMMARY Studies were conducted to determine the effects of competitive growth of microorganisms and development of fluorescence on inoculated poultry during refrigerated storage. Pseudomonas fluorescens rapidly outgrew Staphylococcus aureus in broth at 15°C when the initial concentration of staphylococci was about ten times as great as that of the Pseudo-monas. On stored chicken previously chilled in water containing various levels of pseudo-monads, S. aureus, Echerichia coli, and Streptococcus faecalis, growth of the fluorescing pseudomonads greatly surpassed that of the other organisms. Fluorescing bacteria attained large populations on chicken even when S. aureus initially outnumbered the fluorescing spoilage organisms by 100:1. Little change occurred in the populations of S. aureus recovered from inoculated poultry during storage for one week at 5°C.
Improved estimation of modal vector scaling using the enhanced frequency response function

Abstract A set of correctly scaled modal vectors can enhance the potential accuracy of post-processing applications that utilise modal models such as structural modification, optimisation, and vibration control. With the advancement of multi-input/multi-output parameter estimation algorithms in the frequency domain, this paper investigates these methods to find improved modal scaling factors by utilising the enhanced frequency response function technique to improve the estimates of system poles (damped natural frequency and damping factor). The implication of modal participation factor matrix is also discussed during the process of finding the system poles. Case studies using the frequency domain modal parameter estimation algorithms are demonstrated for the application of this technique.
Restored-State Core Analysis for the Hutton Reservoir

Wettability is a major control parameter in multiphase flow analyses such as relative permeability. When such analyses are required, the native wettability of the reservoir must be maintained in the test plug. Unfortunately for laboratory analyses, cores are increasingly being taken with wettability-altering, oil-based, surfactant-containing muds. When a core's wettability has been altered by such drilling fluids, special procedures must be used to obtain proper analyses. First, the core plug must be cleaned of wettability-altering contaminants, then restored to reservoir wettability using uncontaminated native crude before accurate relative permeabilities can be obtained. These special cleaning and restoration procedures are described for cores from the Hutton field, located in the U.K. sector of the North Sea. Plugs taken from Hutton cores were contaminated with invert-oil-emulsion drilling mud, which made them strongly oil-wet. By use of special cleaning methods, the surfactants from the drilling mud were removed, and the Hutton reservoir was subsequently shown to be only slightly oil-wet by use of relative permeabilities on plugs that had been restored to native wettability. It was also found that some sections of the Hutton cores were neutral-wet to slightly oil-wet even when clean, possibly because of the presence of coal.
Turning points in information technology

Historically, the driving force behind the adoption of any technology has been its potential for transforming the way we live and work. Nowhere has that been more evident than in the progress of computer echnology, and particularly in IBM's contributions through the years. A selection of papers representing those contributions is presented in this retrospective issue, providing examples of turning points documented by the IBM Systems Journal since 1962.
Chaplains' medical approach to psychiatric patients

Chaplains' understanding of people's psychiatric and medical problems may aid them in dealing with people's spiritual problems. However, exploratory interviews and observations of chaplains and inpatients at a VA psychiatric facility indicate that chaplains take a medical model perspective with patients, often attempting to treat patients' psychiatric problems rather than focusing on their reliigious needs. Chaplains avoid one-on-one religious discussions despite the importance of these conversations to patients. Discussed are implications for the utilization of health services and for the formation of treatment teams.
Service providers' views of psychiatric mutual support groups

Despite evidence that mutual support groups can be beneficial for those with serious mental illnesses, professionals have been reluctant to utilize this resource. We surveyed over 400 providers across several disciplines and settings within the state of Connecticut's public mental health system to assess their attitudes and practices regarding the use of mutual support groups for their patients. We found that being a rehabilitation worker and possessing more advanced training, greater numbers of years in their setting and discipline, and personal experience with psychiatric disorders or mutual support were associated with more favorable attitudes and behaviors toward mutual support. In addition, traditional 12-step groups (e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous) were viewed more favorably than psychiatric mutual support groups. Implications for educational efforts about the benefits of mutual support for those with serious mental illnesses are discussed. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Acetaminophen metabolism in subjects fed charcoal‐broiled beef

The effects of consumption of charcoal-broiled beef on the metabolism of acetaminophen by conjugation were determined in nine normal subjects. We had reported that beef prepared in this manner accelerates the oxidative metabolism of drugs, including the oxidation of phenacetin to N-acetyl-p-aminophenol (acetaminophen). In nine normal subjects, a control diet was followed by a charcoal-broiled beef diet, which was followed by the control diet. The charcoal-broiled beef had little or no effect on the plasma-level profile of acetaminophen, acetaminophen glucuronide and acetaminophen sulfate, or on the urinary excretion of acetaminophen, acetaminophen glucuronide, acetaminophen sulfate, 3-methoxy-acetaminophen, or the cysteine and mercapturic acid conjugates of acetaminophen. Results indicate that the enzyme systems that conjugate acetaminophen in man are subject to little or no influence by charcoal-broiled beef. Therefore dietary factors that increase drug oxidations cannot be assumed to have a similar effect on drug conjugation. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (1983) 34, 369–374; doi:10.1038/clpt.1983.181
Glucosylceramide in the nervous system - A mini-review

A reviewer of this manuscript has recommended that I warn the reader that the hypotheses offered here do not have enough experimental support to make them widely accepted.
Reflections on publication criteria for genetic association studies.

In a recent editorial, the editors outlined stringent new criteria for prioritizing studies for publication ([1][1]). This initiative was prompted by the broad perception that the literature is rife with associations of genetic variants with cancer, most of which are not reproduced, and thus
FLIP and FasL expression by inflammatory cells vs thyrocytes can be predictive of chronic inflammation or resolution of autoimmune thyroiditis

Spontaneous autoimmune thyroiditis (SAT) in NOD.H-2h4 mice is a model of chronic inflammation of the thyroid, while granulomatous experimental autoimmune thyroiditis (G-EAT) is a model with spontaneous resolution of inflammation. In chronic inflammation (SAT), Fas, FasL, and FLIP were upregulated and predominant in inflammatory cells. There were few apoptotic cells, and low expression of active caspase-8 and -3. In resolving G-EAT in CBA/J and NOD.H-2h4 mice, FasL and FLIP were predominantly expressed by thyrocytes. There were many apoptotic inflammatory cells, and increased expression of active caspase-8 and -3. Depletion of CD8+ T cells inhibited G-EAT resolution and resulted in chronic inflammation. FLIP was expressed predominantly by inflammatory cells, and apoptosis of inflammatory cells and expression of active caspase-3 was reduced as in chronic SAT. Thus, differences in expression of pro- or antiapoptotic molecules in SAT or G-EAT were apparently related to the acute vs chronic nature of the inflammatory response rather than the method of disease induction. Upregulation of FLIP by inflammatory cells may block Fas-mediated apoptosis, contributing to chronic inflammation, whereas increased FLIP expression by thyrocytes in resolving G-EAT may protect thyrocytes from apoptosis, and FasL expression by thyrocytes may induce apoptosis of inflammatory cells, contributing to resolution.
Isovector nuclear response in carbon.

The isovector nuclear response of carbon is calculated using a random-phase approximation technique for both the non-spin-flip and the spin-flip channel. The calculated results are found to be in fair agreement with experimental results from C(${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\pi}}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$,${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\pi}}}^{0}$) measurements at 500 and 400 MeV. The nuclear correlations quench and harden the charge-exchange quasifree peak as predicted.
Mōssbauer study of BIS(N,N-diisopropyldithiocarbamato)ironIII halides

Abstract Three bis(N,N-diisopropyldithiocarbamato)iron III halides, Fe[S 2 CN(C 3 H 7 ) 2 ] 2 X, have been studied by the Mōssbauer technique, in the presence as well as in the absence of an applied magnetic field. Computer fittings of most of these spectra make possible the determination of all relevant parameters and provide important information concerning the magnetic behavior of these molecular solids. None of the three derivatives show either long or short range magnetic coupling, contrary to what has been observed in other homologous series. Electron spin—spin relaxation and magnetic ordering in the (alkdte) 2 FeX complexes are briefly discussed.
Soft News and Foreign Policy: How Expanding the Audience Changes the Policies

Since the 1980s, the mass media have changed the way they cover major political stories, like foreign policy crises. As a consequence, what the public learns about these events has changed. More media outlets cover major events than in the past, including the entertainment-oriented soft news media. When they do cover a political story, soft
Protection against streptozotocin-induced diabetes by superoxide dismutase

Suerpoxide dismutase was administered intravenously to rats 50 min prior to intravenous administration of a diabetogenic dose of streptozotocin. A dose of 45 mg/kg streptozotocin alone produced marked glucose intolerance and a decrease in pancreatic insulin content to less than 10% of control; both of these effects were abolished by prior administration of 105 mu/g of superoxide dismutase. Superoxide dismutase (105 mu/g) administered 50 min before 65 mg/kg intravenous streptozotocin did not prevent the development of diabetes. The fall in pancreatic insulin content seen with streptozotocin alone was, however, partially reversed by superoxide dismutase.
The diverse effects of mast cell mediators.

Interest in MCs is usually aimed at understanding their role in pathological states they are known to be involved in, including allergic diseases (rhinitis, asthma) and chronic inflammatory diseases (Chrohn's disease, systemic sclerosis). Mast cell mediators are usually looked upon in the same manner, focusing on their role in the disease process. Thus, MCs and the mediators they release are seen primarily as producing negative effects, and are not recognized as an integral and necessary part of the innate immune response. Many studies have exemplified the importance of MCs to the proper functioning of the immune system. Mast cell-deficient mice have shown that MCs are necessary for clearance of bacterial infections, and MCs have long been recognized as critical for the removal of parasitic organisms (99–101). Mast cells are also important in fibrosis, which is necessary when tissues are damaged beyond their capability to regenerate. The broad distribution of MCs and their placement close to the external environment makes them critical in the initial response to injury and invading organisms, and their heterogeneity allows them to respond in a manner that is most useful for their anatomical location. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** A09Q2013 00005