cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ARRHYTHMIAS ASSOCIATED WITH ISCHEMIA AND INFARCTION

The pathophysiologic mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmias include both structural abnormalities of cardiac tissue (e.g., healed infarction, hypertrophied or hemodynamically-stressed muscle) and transient functional changes in cardiac electrical properties (e.g., due to transient ischemia, reperfusion, autonomic or electrolyte fluctuations) . Clinical and experimental data suggest that both the chronic and the dynamic changes in electrical properties interact in the genesis of life-threatening arrhythmias. Experimental studies have demonstrated that the onset of ischemia, and its reversal by reperfusion, create dynamic changes in cellular membrane characteristics which may participate in the genesis of cardiac arrhythmias. Clinical observations at the onset of myocardial infarction, and reperfusion after coronary spasm or interventional procedures, are beginning to provide a parallel body of information. In both experimental and clinical studies, the characteristics and ionic mechanisms for ischemic arrhythmias appear to differ from those in reperfusion arrhythmias. Studies on the experimental influences of both α-and β-adrenergic activity on ischemic or normal myocardium demonstrate an arrhythmogenic effect, in parallel with limited information on autonomic fluctuations in clinical arrhythmias.It has long been recognized that experimental changes in electrolyte and metabolic status of ventricular muscle influence cellular electrophysiology and arrhythmogenesis, and recent clinical information is beginning to suggest similar influences in man. Specifically, transient changes in oxygen supply, pH, Ca++ flux, and superoxide radical formation may be responsible for the transient destabilization of the myocardium experimentally, and also may contribute to the genesis of potentially lethal arrhythmias in man. A thorough understanding of the factors which transpose a structurally diseased but stable myocardium into an electrically unstable mass of tissue is required for meaningful inroads into the prevention of potentially lethal arrhythmeas.
Abstract LB-265: Mutations in BRCA1 impair breast epithelial differentiation through the transcriptional repressor Slug

Human breast cancers can be broadly classified based on their molecular and gene expression profiles into luminal and basal-like tumors. These tumor subtypes express markers corresponding to the two major differentiation states of epithelial cells in the breast: luminal cells that line the breast ducts and the outer myoepithelial/basal cells that provide contractile functions. Women with inherited mutations in the BRCA1 gene have increased breast cancer risk and also exhibit a specific predisposition to the development of aggressive basal-like breast cancers. Accumulating evidence suggests that BRCA1 has a role in breast epithelial differentiation and we wanted to further understand how this could contribute to the formation of basal-like tumors. Microarray, flow cytometry and immunohistochemical analysis of breast epithelial cells from disease-free women harboring deleterious mutations in BRCA1 (BRCA1 mut/+) compared to those from BRCA1 +/+ reduction mammoplasties showed an increase in markers of basal differentiation and a decrease in markers of luminal differentiation. We also created breast cancers from single cell suspensions of BRCA1 mut/+ and BRCA1 +/+ epithelial cells that had been transformed with identical oncogenes and injected into humanized mammary fat pads. Tumors derived from BRCA1 mut/+ cells had increased basal differentiation relative to cells obtained from BRCA1 +/+ patients, indicating that the perturbed differentiation evident prior to neoplastic transformation was mirrored in the tumors. Pathway analysis of the microarray data comparing BRCA1 mut/+ and BRCA1 +/+ cells from disease-free tissue indicated that signaling components relating to the transcriptional repressor Slug were overexpressed in BRCA1 mut/+ tissues. We confirmed that Slug protein levels were elevated in BRCA1 mut/+ tissues and in human tumors from BRCA1 mutation carriers. RNAi-mediated downregulation of slug in primary breast epithelial cells and cell lines derived from BRCA1 mut/+ tissue as well as breast cancer cell lines known to harbor BRCA1 mutations, led to a decrease in markers of basal differentiation, indicating that elevated Slug protein levels seen in BRCA1-associated tissues and tumors are contributing to the basal phenotype. Furthermore, RNAi-mediated knockdown of BRCA1 led to an increase in Slug protein expression and breast cancer cell lines harboring BRCA1 mutations showed an increase in Slug protein stability, indicating that loss of BRCA1 protein by mutation contributes to elevated Slug protein levels. These results reveal an important mechanism by which BRCA1 can regulate breast epithelial differentiation and may explain how, in addition to affecting incidence rates, the genetic background of patients could impact tumor phenotype. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-265.
Experimental study on skin flap angiogenesis promotion using bone marrow derived endothelial progenitor cells

Objective To investigate the implanted skin flap angiogenesis affected by rat derived endothelial progenitor cells(EPCs),and to explore the method for improving skin flap survival rate. Methods Wistar rat skin flap model with topical ischemia was established by cutting off left side inferior epigastric artery.EPCs were harvested by flushing bone marrow cavity and were isolated by density gradient centrifugation.The isolated cells were further purified and enriched by different adhension speed to fibronectin coating dish.Flow cytometer was applied to identify the phenotype of CD34,CD133 and VEGFR-2 of the isolated cells.Cells with different adhension speed were injected into different skin flap sites.Gross observation and capillary vessel density evaluation was conducted.Wistar rats with no treatment or rountine culture fluid injection after skin flap implant were served as controls. Results Both the primary EPCs and EPCs cultured for 7 d in vitro expressed the phenotype of CD34,CD133 and VEGFR-2(P0.05).The survival area and capillary density were more favorable in the EPCs-injection sites than the controls(P0.05). Conclusion Injection of enriched EPCs can significantly improve the survival rate of implanted skin flap.
Biomechanical Identification and Sorting of Single Cells

The mechanical stiffness of individual human cells can be a key parameter that reveals dysfunction of the cell. For example, invasive cancer cells can be several times more deformable than healthy phenotypes. However, for biophysical properties to be utilized in biomedical and diagnostic settings, we will require methods for continuous sorting of cells by differences in stiffness in high throughput. Although separation by such parameters as density is commonly employed, few methods are available for rapid separation by stiffness. Recently, we have created a microfluidic sorting technology which utilizes a combination of hydrodynamic and compressive forces to sort individual cells by stiffness. We utilize this approach to sort a variety of cell mixtures, including different subtypes of leukemia cell models as well as cancer cell models. We further combine computational modeling and experimental studies to predict the movement of compliant cells flowing in microchannels with periodical constrictions to understand how the dynamical interplay between elastic deformation due to viscous flow and the channel geometry can be harnessed to provoke cell segregation. The technology can be altered to highlight other biophysical differences between cells, such as size and viscous relaxation.
Summation of the XIII Lancefield International Symposium on Streptococci and Streptococcal Diseases

Dear friends and colleagues of the Lancefield International Organization: It is a great pleasure to be here at the end of these four wonderful days at the Institut Pasteur in Paris and attempt to summarize some of the scientific and medical highlights of this XIII LISSSD.
Is Regional Integration Beneficial for Agricultural Productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa? The Case of CEMAC and WAEMU

This paper examines the effects of regional euro-currency integration on agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. We utilize a propensity score matching estimator to estimate the treatment effect of Sub-Saharan African countries joining regional euro-currency integration on agricultural value-added. Our parameter estimates reveal that regional euro-currency integration membership has positive effects on agricultural value-added. This suggests that as an institutional arrangement, regional currency union membership can improve agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa, which is an important component of achieving economic growth that is effective in reducing poverty.
Abstract 3032: Genomic deregulation and therapeutic role of the cell-cycle kinase TLK2 in more aggressive breast cancers

More aggressive breast cancers often coincide with enhanced chromosomal instability (CIN), which poses a great challenge to clinical management. By integrative analysis of genomic data, we observed the amplification of tousled-like kinase 2 (TLK2), a cell cycle serine-threonine kinase, in approximately 9% of breast cancer, which is more frequent in the luminal B and late-stage breast tumors. The resulting TLK2 upregulation correlates with the level of CIN in breast tumors, and predicts worse outcome regardless of endocrine therapy. Further studies suggest that TLK2 overexpression leads to a G2/M checkpoint defect, delayed DNA repair, and enhanced invasiveness. TLK2 silencing selectively inhibits the growth of TLK2-high breast cancer cells, and induces apoptosis. This response is retained in the breast cancer cells with acquired endocrine resistance. TLK2 inhibition in a preclinical tumor model significantly improved progression-free survival. Together, targeting TLK2 presents an attractive therapeutic strategy on TLK2-amplified breast cancers. Citation Format: Jin-Ah KIM, Ying Tan, Xian Wang, Xixi Cao, Jamunarani Veeraraghavan, Yulong Liang, Dean P. Edwards, Xuewen Pan, Kaiyi Li, Rachel Schiff, Xiaosong Wang. Genomic deregulation and therapeutic role of the cell-cycle kinase TLK2 in more aggressive breast cancers. [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 3032. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3032
Lessons from the Tōhoku tsunami: A model for island avifauna conservation prioritization.

Earthquake-generated tsunamis threaten coastal areas and low-lying islands with sudden flooding. Although human hazards and infrastructure damage have been well documented for tsunamis in recent decades, the effects on wildlife communities rarely have been quantified. We describe a tsunami that hit the world's largest remaining tropical seabird rookery and estimate the effects of sudden flooding on 23 bird species nesting on Pacific islands more than 3,800 km from the epicenter. We used global positioning systems, tide gauge data, and satellite imagery to quantify characteristics of the Tōhoku earthquake-generated tsunami (11 March 2011) and its inundation extent across four Hawaiian Islands. We estimated short-term effects of sudden flooding to bird communities using spatially explicit data from Midway Atoll and Laysan Island, Hawai'i. We describe variation in species vulnerability based on breeding phenology, nesting habitat, and life history traits. The tsunami inundated 21%-100% of each island's area at Midway Atoll and Laysan Island. Procellariformes (albatrosses and petrels) chick and egg losses exceeded 258,500 at Midway Atoll while albatross chick losses at Laysan Island exceeded 21,400. The tsunami struck at night and during the peak of nesting for 14 colonial seabird species. Strongly philopatric Procellariformes were vulnerable to the tsunami. Nonmigratory, endemic, endangered Laysan Teal (Anas laysanensis) were sensitive to ecosystem effects such as habitat changes and carcass-initiated epizootics of avian botulism, and its populations declined approximately 40% on both atolls post-tsunami. Catastrophic flooding of Pacific islands occurs periodically not only from tsunamis, but also from storm surge and rainfall; with sea-level rise, the frequency of sudden flooding events will likely increase. As invasive predators occupy habitat on higher elevation Hawaiian Islands and globally important avian populations are concentrated on low-lying islands, additional conservation strategies may be warranted to increase resilience of island biodiversity encountering tsunamis and rising sea levels.
Abstract 70: Neurogenesis in the Pediatric Brain Following Ischemic Stroke: a Potential Target for Endogenous Regeneration and Repair

Introduction: Following stroke, neurons are seriously damaged or die, impairing local brain function and contributing to long-term disability. Mounting evidence suggests that stroke recovery in chi...
Thermal control of SOFC: An anti-windup approach for maximizing usable power

A Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) integrated with a variable speed blower is studied. The idea is to maximize the usable power of the fuel cell, by artificially bounding the inlet flow rate, thus, avoiding the overshoots in the blower power. Anti-windup techniques are then incorporated in order to guarantee the stability and provide a satisfactory performance. Significant temperature drops in cathode inlet (second actuator signal) caused by AW are also avoided in order to minimize the temperature gradients along the cell.
Lyophilization: Process Design, Robustness, and Risk Management

This chapter briefly reviews the formulation literature with a focus on defining formulations that can support aggressive lyophilization. Each step in the lyophilization process is reviewed with considerations for scale-up with an emphasis on mathematical modeling (enabled by equipment characterization) and application of process analytical technologies, when possible. A scientific approach to process robustness relying upon grouping of process parameters to provide worst case conditions is described, and the consequences of grouping these parameters is discussed. Process robustness, assessed in this fashion, can then support the definition of the process design space and inform risk management activities.
Myocardial Stunning and Preconditioning During Non-Cardioplegic Warm Intermittent Aortic Cross-Clamping

A brief coronary artery occlusion provokes ATP depletion, reperfusion-mediated ventricular fibrillation and persistent ventricular dysfunction “myocardial stunning” (1–5). On the other hand, repetitive brief coronary artery occlusion and reperfusion significantly reduces the rate of ATP depletion and concomitant accumulation of ATP catabolites (6,7), and limit infarct size following a sublethal period of sustained ischemia and reperfusion (8). A single episode of 5 minutes of coronary artery occlusion produce similar anti-infarction response (9). These observations suggested that the myocardium becomes more tolerant to ischemia by activating an adaptive response to short periods of ischemic stress. The reduction in infarct size following brief ischemia and reperfusion followed by prolonged ischemia and reperfusion has been referred to as ischemic preconditioning (8,9). Recently, warm cardioplegic arrest has been used in open heart surgery (11–13). It is not known whether a brief episode of ischemia and reperfusion also limits ventricular dysfunction after intermittent ischemia and reperfusion in canine model of warm aortic cross-clamping.
The Behavioral Concepts of Abuse and Addiction in Diagnosis

The DSM-III-R criteria for substance-dependence disorders represent significantly favorable revisions toward a valid and reliable diagnostic description (1,2). However, further improvements may be indicated. The following discussion attempts to critically review the validity and utility of the DSM-III-R for clinicians and researchers and to provide suggestions for consideration of further changes in the diagnostic categories (see Appendices I and II).
Analysis of Open Automated Demand Response Deployments in California and Guidelines to Transition to Industry Standards

This report reviews the Open Automated Demand Response (OpenADR) deployments within the territories serviced by California?s investor-owned utilities (IOUs) and the transition from the OpenADR 1.0 specification to the formal standard?OpenADR 2.0. As demand response service providers and customers start adopting OpenADR 2.0, it is necessary to ensure that the existing Automated Demand Response (AutoDR) infrastructure investment continues to be useful and takes advantage of the formal standard and its many benefits. This study focused on OpenADR deployments and systems used by the California IOUs and included a summary of the OpenADR deployment from the U.S. Department of Energy-funded demonstration conducted by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory collected and analyzed data about OpenADR 1.0 deployments, categorized architectures, developed a data model mapping to understand the technical compatibility of each version, and compared the capabilities and features of the two specifications. The findings, for the first time, provided evidence of the total enabled load shed and average first cost for system enablement in the IOU and SMUD service territories. The OpenADR 2.0a profile specification semantically supports AutoDR system architectures and data propagation with a testing and certification program that promotes interoperability, scaled deployments by multiple vendors, and provides additional features that support future services.
Wavelet Inverse Neutron Scattering Study of Layered Metallic NiC-Ti Composites

Composites are prevalent in high technology devices such as aircraft, computers, automobiles and communications systems. They improve brittleness and provide a lower density which enhances mechanical strength. Electron and light manipulating composites will be used more and more in the future. It is necessary to have a capability of inspecting composites, both to assure production quality and as a baseline for later NDE. In this paper, we present a study using wavelet, inverse neutron optics and the grazing angle neutron spectrometer, GANS, at the Missouri University Research Reactor, MURR.
Dependence of Stress on Deposition Conditions for Sputtered Copper Films onto Flexible Polyimide Substrates

We have investigated the dependence of internal stress on argon pressure and deposition rate for 0.25 μn copper films sputtered onto a 1-mil (25 μn) — thick polyimide substrate. A dc planar magnetron was used to deposit the copper onto a flexible substrate (Kapton) which was held flat by top and bottom edges. We observed two types of stress: tension, in which the film is trying to contract on the substrate and compression, in which the film is trying to expand on the substrate. The stress is primarily of an “intrinsic” nature, relating to the interfacial mismatch between the natural atomic structures of the growing film and the substrate surface. Using a formula due to Stoney, stress was estimated directly from the resulting radius of curvature of the relaxed film and substrate. At a fixed deposition rate of 2.0 A/s, there is a stress transition from compression to tension at a pressure of about 2.5 mTorr. At a fixed pressure of 5.0 mTorr, there is a stress transition from tension to compression at a deposition rate of about 4.8 A/s. Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) show columnar grains with a void network for films under tension and smooth, tightly packed surfaces for films under compression. The origin of the tensile morphology is a “shadowing” mechanism operative at higher argon pressures; at lower pressures, an “atomic peening” mechanism is responsible for the compressive morphology. The morphology data are consistent with the Movchan-Demchishin zone model diagram as extended by Thornton for the growth of sputtered films. Film resistivity and reflectivity were closest to their bulk values for compressive films deposited at low argon pressure and high deposition rate. At a deposition rate of 2 A/s, the critical pressures at which resistivity starts to rise and reflectance begins to decrease are very close to the aforementioned stress transition pressure. In general, the data are consistent with the dependencies of physical properties on pressure and deposition rate observed for other metals. We are currently examining the effects of film thickness and residual gas pressure on stress. The ultimate goal of this research is to correlate stress with the adhesion between film and substrate.
Falling Prey to Online Romantic Alternatives: Evaluating Social Media Alternative Partners in Committed Versus Dating Relationships:

Social media represents an integral platform that is currently used to maintain and develop new social connections including alternative romantic partners. Over engagement with online friends and p...
Valve Sparing Root Replacement Provides Similar Midterm Outcomes in Bicuspid and Trileaflet Valves.

Background Valve-sparing aortic root replacement (VSRR) is an established treatment for aortic root pathology for trileaflet valves. The safety and durability of VSRR in bicuspid aortopathy is unclear. In this study, outcomes of performing VSRR in the setting of bicuspid and trileaflet valves were compared. Methods An institutional database identified 294 patients who underwent VSRR from 2005 to 2017. Of these, 225 had trileaflet valves and 69 had bicuspid valves. Patients were followed prospectively and had annual postoperative echocardiograms. Propensity-matched comparisons were made between trileaflet and bicuspid valve patients. Results The average patient age for trileaflet valves was 46.0 ± 13.5 versus 42.7 ± 12.2 years for bicuspid patients (p = 0.07). There was a higher presence of preoperative >2+ aortic insufficiency (AI) present in bicuspid patients (63.8%) compared with trileaflet patients (31.1%) (p 2+ AI and aortic valve replacement (AVR) was 2.0% and 4.3% in trileaflet patients and 7.7% (p = 0.75) and 7.7% (p = 0.81) in bicuspid patients. Preoperative >2+ AI was not predictive of >2+ postoperative AI (p = 0.62) nor AVR (p = 0.49). Five-year survival was no different between groups (trileaflet: 98%, bicuspid: 84%, p = 0.24). Conclusions VSRR can be safely and effectively performed in patients with trileaflet and bicuspid valves. Operative outcomes and valve function were equivalent in bicuspid and trileaflet patients in midterm follow-up. Performance of VSRR is a viable term option in the setting bicuspid aortic valve aortopathy.
Spatiotemporal variation in wetland fish assemblages in the Western Ghats region of India

The Western Ghats region of peninsular India contains high diversity of freshwater fishes that support artisanal fisheries, but no studies to date have investigated fish assemblages of the region's extensive wetlands. This study examined fish population densities and the structure of local species assemblages in pools of the Periyakulam wetland of the Western Ghats. From 2000 to 2001, fishes and local abiotic environmental parameters were surveyed during three periods with contrasting rainfall (dry, major wet, minor wet). We hypothesized that fish density would be higher during the dry season when aquatic habitat is reduced, and that local assemblage structure would be strongly associated with habitat conditions. Total fish densities were higher during the dry season, but the magnitude of seasonal change was relatively low, and this apparently was because changes in water depth were minimal due to operation of sluice gates that control wetland hydrology. Chanda nama , Pseudetroplus maculatus , Rasbora daniconius , and Danio aequipinnatus were dominant species in most habitats during all three seasons. Multivariate ordinations revealed strong associations between assemblage structure and habitats based on vegetation cover. Local assemblages in shallow-vegetated habitats varied seasonally in association with gradients of rainfall and water quality parameters. Spatial variation of local fish assemblages in the Periyakulam wetland appears to be maintained by species-specific habitat selection. Although hydrologic regulation probably has reduced seasonal variation in the structure of local assemblages, seasonal differences still occur and appear to be caused by species differences with regard to periods of reproduction, recruitment, dispersal and habitat selection.
Reactive versus Proactive Risk Management in Track and Field: Editor: Thomas H. Sawyer

In this case, a high school track and field participant appealed the decision of the Hamilton District Court in Ohio, where the Board of Education was granted immunity stemming from the incident in which the student was injured during discus practice.
Pulsation and Stellar Winds: Some Lessons Learned from Dynamical Models of the Atmospheres of Cool Stars

Stellar pulsation is associated with some of the most dramatic epochs of mass loss from stars. Detailed numerical modeling calculations that reproduce the observed characteristics of such mass losing stars necessarily include a number of key physical processes. The reader is referred to detailed calculations of dynamical atmospheres for Mira variables (Bowen 1988 (=B88) and 1998 (=B98)). A review of physical processes with examples from a variety of computations for Miras, Cepheids, and RR Lyrae stars is given by Willson, Struck & Bowen (1997 = WSB), and evolutionary consequences are outlined by Willson, Bowen Si Struck (1996 = WBS). This review focusses on (1) the importance of departures from LTE, radiative equilibrium, and chemical equilibrium and (2) the treatment of “piston” boundary conditions. We then compare the results of different modeling calculations with observed Mira period-luminosity relations. Finally, we summarize the implications for “cyclical variations” in stellar winds.
Combined Intravenous Sildenafil and L-Arginine Administration in a Porcine Animal Model: Hemodynamic Safety Profile and Effects on Coronary Blood Flow.

Endothelial dysfunction in the nitric oxide-cyclic guanosine monophosphate pathway is a potential contributor to perioperative myocardial ischemia. The nitric oxide precursor, l-arginine, and the cyclic guanosine monophosphate degradation blocker, sildenafil, have vasodilatory effects under high dosage. This study examined the hemodynamic safety and effect profiles of the combined administration of l-arginine and sildenafil using an in-vivo pig model. Hemodynamic safety including mean arterial pressure, central venous pressure, heart rate, coronary vascular resistance, and systemic vascular resistance, as well as effect profiles including cardiac output and left anterior descending blood flow were measured in ten female swine after administrations of l-arginine, sildenafil, as well as combined l-arginine and sildenafil. Measurements were compared using repeated-measures analysis of variance and linear mixed models. The combination of l-arginine and sildenafil produced a significant dose-dependent increase in left anterior descending flow and cardiac output. In contrast, mean arterial pressure, heart rate, central venous pressure, coronary vascular resistance, and systemic vascular resistance did not show any significant changes. No significant change in serum osmolality was observed after administrations of l-arginine. The combined intravenous administration of sildenafil and l-arginine in a porcine animal model was safe, well tolerated, and had at least additive effects on left anterior descending artery blood flow. Simultaneous application of both drugs might have dose-sparing effects leading to desired coronary effects at lower and safer sildenafil and l-arginine plasma concentrations. Hyperosmolality was only a minor factor in l-arginine hemodynamic effects.
Pseudo-Differential Perturbations of the Landau Hamiltonian

We consider the Landau Hamiltonian H0 on Open image in new window and the spectral asymptotics near the essential spectrum of the perturbed operator H0 + V , for a variety of perturbations V . First, we give a noncomprehensive account on the known results when the perturbation is either a multiplication operator or a differential operator of first or second order. Secondly, we briefly expose new results when V is given by a pseudo-differential operator whose symbol is either slowly or fast decaying at infinity.
Network functional connectivity underlying dissociable cognitive and affective components of empathy in adolescence.

Abstract Empathy, the capacity to understand and share others' emotions, can occur through cognitive and affective components. These components are different conceptually, behaviorally, and in the brain. Neuroimaging task-based research in adolescents and adults document that cognitive empathy associates with the default mode and frontoparietal networks, whereas regions of the salience network underlie affective empathy. However, cognitive empathy is slower to mature than affective empathy and the extant literature reveals considerable developmental differences between adolescent and adult brains within and between these three networks. We extend previous work by examining empathy's association with functional connectivity within and between these networks in adolescents. Participants (n = 84, aged 13–17; 46.4% female) underwent resting state fMRI and completed self-report measures (Interpersonal Reactivity Index) for empathy as part of a larger Nathan-Kline Institute study. Regression analyses revealed adolescents reporting higher cognitive empathy had higher within DMN connectivity. Post hoc analysis revealed cognitive empathy's association within DMN connectivity is independent of affective empathy or empathy in general; and this association is driven by positive pairwise connections between the bilateral angular gyri and medial prefrontal cortex. These results suggest introspective cognitive processes related to the DMN are specifically important for cognitive empathy in adolescence.
Reproducible Analyses in Education Research

A reproducible analysis is one in which an independent entity, using the same data and the same statistical code, would obtain the exact same result as the previous analyst. Reproducible analyses u...
Adverse Scale Effect and Managerial Skill in Mutual Funds: Evidence from Corporate Bond Mutual Funds

This paper examines a sample of corporate bond mutual funds to explore the presence of a decreasing returns to scale effect among mutual funds. Initial results show that on average, fund performance decreases by 13.85 basis points per year when the fund size increases by one standard deviation. The negative and significant relation between fund performance and fund size persists when various robustness tests are conducted. Further results show that the negative effect of scale on performance is related to illiquidity effects, since performance of mutual funds that hold high yield bonds – the least liquid bonds – decreases by a factor of ten times the performance of other funds as size increases. Given the adverse effect of size on performance, we reevaluate the fund manager’s skill. Unlike the common belief that fund managers are not skilled on average, our results indicate that corporate bond mutual fund managers are skilled. Finally, by sorting managers based on their skills, we find that highly skilled managers persistently generate more than 2 million dollars per month for up to 12 months into the future. It implies that a manager’s skill is persistent, and performance is not attributable to luck.
The Rhetoric of Teacher Evaluation: New York City Teachers’ Responses to Performance Labels:

This paper uses the case of New York City teachers’ interpretations of the labels that are assigned to their performance to explore how teachers experience teacher evaluation systems. Based on our ...
Supersymmetry for Mathematicians: An Introduction

Introduction The concept of a supermanifold Super linear algebra Elementary theory of supermanifolds Clifford algebras, spin groups, and spin representations Fine structure of spin modules Superspacetimes and super Poincare groups.
The Sources of Modern Methodology

Scarcely two decades ago, those scholars interested in the history of the philosophy of science had to spend the bulk of their time justifying the existence of this field as a proper and legitimate branch of philosophy. Although prepared to concede that metaphysics, ethics and epistemology all had distinguished temporal careers, laden with present-day significance, most philosophers of science were convinced that philosophy of science really began during their own lifetimes, probably in Vienna; if it had any prior ancestry at all, it was generally traced no further back than Duhem, Mach, and Poincare, along with occasional footnotes to Hume and Aristotle. The small coterie of scholars who were convinced that the story was a bit more complicated generally suppressed their internal disagreements and closed ranks — at least in public — in order to persuade their philosophical colleagues that the history of methodology was a fiorishing, exciting and relevant area of inquiry which deserved serious study and attention.
Estrogenicity and androgenicity screening of PCB sulfate monoesters in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells

Recent studies identified polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) sulfate esters as a major product of PCB metabolism. Since hydroxy-PCBs (HO-PCBs), the immediate precursors of PCB sulfates and important contributors to PCB toxicity, were shown to have estrogenic activity, we investigated the estrogenicity/androgenicty of a series of PCB sulfate metabolites. We synthesized the five possible structural sulfate monoester metabolites of PCB 3, a congener shown to be biotransformed to sulfates, a sulfate ester of the paint-specific congener PCB 11, and sulfate monoesters of two HO-PCBs reported to interact with sulfotransferases (PCB 39, no ortho chlorines, and PCB 53, 3 ortho chlorines). We tested these PCB sulfates and 4'-HO-PCB 3 as positive control for estrogenic, androgenic, anti-estrogenic, and anti-androgenic activity in the E- and A-screen with human breast cancer MCF7-derived cells at 100 μM-1 pM concentrations. Only 4'-HO-PCB 3 was highly cytotoxic at 100 μM. We observed structure-activity relationships: compounds with a sulfate group in the chlorine-containing ring of PCB 3 (2PCB 3 and 3PCB 3 sulfate) showed no interaction with the estrogen (ER) and androgen (AR) receptor. The 4'-HO-PCB 3 and its sulfate ester had the highest estrogenic effect, but at 100-fold different concentrations, i.e., 1 and 100 μM, respectively. Four of the PCB sulfates were estrogenic (2'PCB 3, 4'PCB 3, 4'PCB 39, and 4'PCB 53 sulfates; at 100 μM). These sulfates and 3'PCB 3 sulfate also exhibited anti-estrogenic activity, but at nM and pM concentrations. The 4'PCB 3 sulfate (para-para' substituted) had the strongest androgenic activity, followed by 3'PCB 3, 4'PCB 53, 4PCB11, and 4PCB 39 sulfates and the 4'HO-PCB 3. In contrast, anti-androgenicity was only observed with the two compounds that have the sulfate group in ortho- or meta- position in the second ring (2'PCB 3 and 3'PCB 3 sulfate). No dose-response was observed in any screen, but, with exception of estrogenic activity (only seen at 100 μM), endocrine activity was often displayed at several concentrations and even at 1 pM concentration. These data suggest that sulfation of HO-PCBs is indeed reducing their cytotoxicity and estrogenicity, but may produce other endocrine disruptive activities at very low concentrations.
Can We Agree on Morals

morality only has authority over us if it directs us to behave in ways that will further our interests.1 Another idea that has become popular since the reinvigoration of political theory by John Rawls's A Theory of Justice is that morality can be (at least to some extent) defined by reflecting upon 'what people could agree to' if they were in some appropriately equal and impartial setting. These two theses on authority and definition are embraced and developed by David Gauthier in his Morals by Agreement.2 The book builds on the rich and complex social contract tradition and is itself a major and brilliant contribution to that tradition insofar as it develops an intriguing and innovative kind of contractarianism. After presenting a sketch of Gauthier's theory that sets it in historical perspective, I will query the success of Gauthier's approach to morality. This query has two parts; I will ask whether or not morality, so conceived, is in our interest to adopt, and I will ask whether or not what we get from Gauthier's theory is really morality.
Differential antero-posterior expression of two proteins encoded by a homeobox gene in Xenopus and mouse embryos.

The X.laevis XlHbox 1 gene uses two functional promoters to produce a short and a long protein, both containing the same homeodomain. In this report we use specific antibodies to localize both proteins in frog embryos. The antibodies also recognize the homologous proteins in mouse embryos. In both mammalian and amphibian embryos, expression of the long protein starts more posteriorly than that of the short protein. This difference in spatial expression applies to the nervous system, the segmented mesoderm and the internal organs. This suggests that each promoter from this gene has precisely restricted regions of expression along the anterior-posterior axis of the embryo. Because the long and short proteins share a common DNA-binding specificity but differ by an 82 amino acid domain, their differential distribution may have distinct developmental consequences.
Male Bias in Rural Bangladeshi Women’s Empowerment: A Comparative Analysis of the Jamaat-e-Islami Political Agenda and Microfinance’s Economic Freedom Agenda

This paper sets out to examine male bias in the different approaches to women’s empowerment in rural Bangladesh. To understand a secular economic approach to women’s empowerment, the microfinance sector was assessed. For a religious approach, the Jamaat-e-Islam’s political agenda in Bangladesh was scrutinized. It was found that both efforts at improving conditions for women are heavily saturated within patriarchal norms and continue to operate within parameters established with male bias. Women’s autonomy, access to non-monetary assets, and mobility were restricted even within an empowerment context. Furthermore, the bias is sanctioned within the Bangladeshi constitution and the political parties that uphold it. This paper utilizes inferences from the study of Bangladesh as a tool for addressing male bias in women’s empowerment in other societies as well, particularly those with a patriarchal, religious hegemony such as the Mormon communities in the United States of America.
Reflections on the Law and Economics of Copyright Scope and its Implications for Fair Use

Uncertainty as to the optimum extent of protection has generally limited the capacity of law and economics to translate economic theory into coherent doctrinal recommendations in the realm of copyright. The article explores the relationship between copyright scope and welfare from a theoretical perspective to develop a framework for evaluating specific doctrinal recommendations in copyright law. This analysis of copyright scope establishes that (1) the efficiency of private ordering is the key determinant of the ideal level of copyright scope; (2) the complexity of the welfare-scope relationship is such that we are unlikely to be able to ascertain a generalizable optimal level of copyright scope - the relationship will clearly be subject to substantial variation, both within and between industries; (3) doctrinal recommendations which aim to optimize copyright scope in the abstract but do not account for the effect of a doctrinal change on transaction costs or uncertainty are necessarily incomplete. This article bridges the gap between the traditional law and economics of copyright and specific doctrinal analysis, applying the above conclusions as metrics for assessing doctrinal proposals. The usefulness of applying these metrics in either rejecting or improving doctrinal recommendations is illustrated with reference to the predominant law and economics theories of fair use.
Development and Assessment of a Horizontally Integrated Biological Sciences Course Sequence for Pharmacy Education

Objective. To design and assess a horizontally integrated biological sciences course sequence and to determine its effectiveness in imparting the foundational science knowledge necessary to successfully progress through the pharmacy school curriculum and produce competent pharmacy school graduates. Design. A 2-semester course sequence integrated principles from several basic science disciplines: biochemistry, molecular biology, cellular biology, anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology. Each is a 5-credit course taught 5 days per week, with 50-minute class periods. Assessment. Achievement of outcomes was determined with course examinations, student lecture, and an annual skills mastery assessment. The North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) results were used as an indicator of competency to practice pharmacy. Conclusion. Students achieved course objectives and program level outcomes. The biological sciences integrated course sequence was successful in providing students with foundational basic science knowledge required to progress through the pharmacy program and to pass the NAPLEX. The percentage of the school’s students who passed the NAPLEX was not statistically different from the national percentage.
Variability of clinical CT perfusion measurements in patients with carotid stenosis.

CT perfusion imaging (pCT) may be used to detect and monitor hemodynamic abnormalities due to cerebrovascular disease. The magnitude of variability in clinical measurements has been insufficiently evaluated. The purpose of this study was to measure the long-term variability of clinical pCT measurements in patients with cerebrovascular disease. pCT parameters were calculated for the cerebral hemisphere contralateral to a carotid stenosis before and after stent treatment of stenosis in 33 consecutive patients. Mean transit time (MTT), cerebral blood flow (CBF), and cerebral blood volume (CBV) calculated from pCT data from both a small and large region of interest (ROI) using both manual and automated methods were compared before and after stent treatment. Differences between the first and second measurement were tested for statistical significance with at-test. Variability was calculated as the standard deviation of the differences divided by the mean of the pre- and post-stent treatment values. To adjust for proportional bias, the Bland–Altman analysis was applied. The differences between the two measurements of MTT, CBF, and CBV averaged 2.5 to 7.7% when a manual method was used and was higher with automatic methods (p > 0.07). The variability of the values was 18% for MTT, 19% for CBV, and 25% for CBF with the large ROI and the manual method of calculation. The magnitude was larger when the small ROI and automatic methods were employed. Longitudinal measurements of MTT, CBV, or CBF by pCT may vary by 20–25%. To detect changes in treatment-related changes in perfusion, pCT studies must be designed to achieve statistical significance based on this variability.
Continuum theory of thermally induced phase transitions based on an order parameter

Abstract Using balance laws for accretive force and energy in conjunction with constitutive equations restricted so as to be compatible with the second law, we develop a theory for the study of solid-liquid and solid-solid phase transitions where accretion and heat conduction dominate mass diffusion and deformation. Our theory furnishes generalizations of the Ginzburg-Landau equation and the phase-field equations, generalizations that allow for anisotropically induced preferred growth and nonlinear transition kinetics.
Electronic states and bonding configurations in hydrogenated amorphous silicon

A series of realistic structural models have been constructed for hydrogenated amorphous silicon ($a\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{Si}:\mathrm{H}$) with the hydrogen atoms appearing as SiH, Si${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$, Si${\mathrm{H}}_{3}$, ${(\mathrm{S}\mathrm{i}{\mathrm{H}}_{2})}_{2}$, SiHHSi (a broken Si-Si bond with two H atoms inserted), SiHSi (bridge form), an interstitial atom, and an atom at the center of a six-member ring (ring-center model) in an otherwise continuous-random-tetrahedral network of amorphous silicon. The electronic energies for each structural model (with one H-bonding configuration) are calculated by using the first-principles method of linear combinations of atomic orbitals in which all the multicenter integrals in the Hamiltonian matrix elements are evaluated exactly. In the cases of the SiH, Si${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$, Si${\mathrm{H}}_{3}$, SiHHSi, and ${(\mathrm{S}\mathrm{i}{\mathrm{H}}_{2})}_{2}$ configurations, the calculated local densities of states of the valence band for the H atoms agree well with photoemission experiment, but a distinct discrepancy is found for the SiHSi bridge model and the ring-center model. The SiHHSi and ${(\mathrm{S}\mathrm{i}{\mathrm{H}}_{2})}_{2}$ models give gap states near the conduction-band edge, the occurrence of which is attributed to the interhydride interaction. The SiHHSi model is in good agreement with several sets of experiments and provides a simple mechanism for incorporating H atoms in amorphous Si to fairly high concentrations.
Fuzziness vs. probability

Fuzziness is explored as an alternative to randomness for describing uncertainty. The new sets-as-points geometric view of fuzzy sets is developed. This view identifies a fuzzy set with a point in a unit hypercube and a nonfuzzy set with a vertex of the cube. Paradoxes of two-valued logic and set theory, such as Russell's paradox, correspond to the midpoint of the fuzzy cube. The fundamental questions of fuzzy theory—How fuzzy is a fuzzy set? How much is one fuzzy set a subset of another?—are answered geometrically with the Fuzzy Entropy Theorem, the Fuzzy Subsethood Theorem, and the Entropy-Subsethood Theorem. A new geometric proof of the Subsethood Theorem is given, a corollary of which is that the apparently probabilistic relative frequency nA /N turns out to be the deterministic subsethood S(X, A), the degree to which the sample space X is contained in its subset A. So the frequency of successful trials is viewed as the degree to which all trials are successful. Recent Bayesian polemics against fuzzy ...
Identification and analysis of transforming growth factor beta receptors on primary osteoblast-enriched cultures derived from adult human bone.

Primary human osteoblast-enriched (PHO) cultures derived from adult trabecular bone were analyzed to determine the presence or absence of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) receptors. Saturation binding studies were performed with 125I-TGF-β in the absence or presence of 200-fold excess cold TGF-β. Cross-linking experiments utilizing 125-I-TGF-β were performed to identify specific cell surface binding proteins for TGF-β. The saturation binding studies demonstrated saturable binding for TGF-β on PHO cells. TGF-β was cross-linked to cell surface binding proteins of 50 to 110 KDa and a high molecular weight component. Thus, these receptors appear to be similar in affinity, number per cell, and molecular weight to those previously identified with other cell types. The potential biological effects of TGF-β on the growth of PHO cultures were evaluated by both 3H-thymidine incorporation and cell number determination. Growth of PHO cells in the presence of TGF-β resulted in an approximately two-fold stimulat...