cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Coastal Wetland Distributions: Delineating Domains of Macroscale Drivers and Local Feedbacks

How do multiple stable states influence local and macroscale ecological patterns? Understanding how local feedbacks operate within heterogeneous coastal environments is essential to forecasting marsh persistence and loss in response to sea level rise, river impoundment, and other environmental changes. In coastal lagoons, feedbacks between open water, wind erosion, and stabilizing effects from wetland vegetation produce two states: open water with fringing marshes, and marsh-dominated basins. Unknown is whether, how, and at what scales these feedbacks affect distribution of marsh ecosystems in large, complex estuaries, where macroscale coastal and watershed characteristics control suspended sediment and wind energy. Using a multi-scale geospatial analysis spanning the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the USA, we show that characteristics of estuaries (depth, shoreline complexity, land use, tidal range, latitude) and their watersheds (discharge) best predict wetland extent at broad spatial scales (~> 102 km2). Bimodal distribution of wetland extent occurs at finer scales (~ 100 to 102 km2) that correspond to the theoretical scale of wave erosion feedbacks. Local feedbacks are thus the mechanism that controls marsh dynamics, whereas coastal and watershed characteristics determine macroscale wetland distributions through their effects on these processes. In coastal marshes, and likely in other complex landscapes, the spatial extent of feedbacks shapes the scales at which local and macroscale processes control the distribution of alternative stable states. These findings help predict scales at which coastal wetlands will respond catastrophically or continuously to environmental change, and provide a basis for multi-scale strategies to protect and restore coastal wetland ecosystems.
Will the Tide Lift All Boats? Examining the Equity Effects of Performance Funding Policies in U.S. Higher Education

This study considers whether performance funding policies systematically tend to harm some types of institutions of higher education while helping others. Building on theories of deck stacking and institutional stratification, a formal theoretical model of the effects of performance funding policies on individual institutions is developed and discussed. We find two types of likely policy effects—one which serves to improve overall institutional performance and another which exacerbates unevenness among institutions in terms of quality. We then conduct an initial empirical test of our theory, analyzing a cross-sectional time-series dataset of colleges and universities in the U.S. Our findings are somewhat mixed. The adoption of performance funding policies appears to have the ability to boost overall average levels of degree production in some instances. However, performance funding 2.0 policies are also associated with larger variance in degree production rates. We find some evidence that 2.0 policies also have heterogeneous effects on graduation and retention rates, whereby the benefits of these policies disproportionately accrue to institutions already positioned to perform well.
Identification of novel rhesus macaque microRNAs from naïve whole blood

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are emerging as novel molecular tools for diagnosing and treating diseases. Rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) are the most widely used nonhuman primate species for biomedical studies, yet only 912 mature miRNAs have been identified in this species compared to 2654 in humans and 1978 in mice. The aim of this project was to help bridge that gap in knowledge by evaluating circulating miRNA in naive rhesus monkeys and comparing results with currently available databases in different species in order to identify novel, mature miRNAs. Total RNA was isolated from whole blood of ten healthy, adult rhesus macaques. After performing next generation sequencing (NGS), 475 novel, mature miRNAs were identified in rhesus macaques for the first time; of those, 423 were identified for the first time in any species. The most abundantly expressed novel rhesus macaque miRNA, hsa-miR-744-5p, has previously been described in humans. Database assessment of hsa-miR-744-5p potential gene targets showed that while the gene targets showed > 90% sequence similarity between rhesus and humans, many did not share the same consensus sequences. The identification of 475 novel miRNAs in the blood of rhesus macaque reflects the complexity and variety of miRNAs across species. Further NGS studies are needed to reveal novel miRNA that will inform on species-, tissue-, and condition-specific miRNAs.
Interoperability Analysis Tool for IEC 61850-9-2 Standard-based Merging Units

Interoperability tests and plugfest events provide an environment to test and assure interoperability of power grid devices - to ultimately achieve equipment plug and play. However, interoperability analysis is very time-consuming and error-prone since tasks must process tens of gigabytes (GBs) of network packet data. Therefore, the challenge we face is how to efficiently analyze interoperability. To address this challenge, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed an interoperability analysis tool for International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61850-9-2 standard-based merging units (MUs). This paper introduces a software tool that can parse IEC 61850-9-2 packet data from a packet description markup language (PDML) file and automatically analyze the interoperability of IEC 61850-9-2 sampled value (SV) messages based on the IEC 61850-9-2:2011 protocol. The interoperability analysis includes data analysis of the media access control (MAC) layer, link layer, and application layer of IEC 61850-9-2 SV messages. This tool has successfully been used to analyze nineteen sets of IEC 61850-9-2 SV messages collected from both commercial physical and simulated MUs provided by seven vendors at the 2017 Utilities Communications Architecture International User Group (UCAIug) IEC 61850 Interoperability (lOP) Testing and Plugfest event.
Impacts of biological nitrogen fixation on N 2 O emissions from global natural terrestrial ecosystem soils: An Analysis with a process-based biogeochemistry model

Abstract. Biological nitrogen fixation plays an important role in the global nitrogen cycle. However, the fixation rate has been usually measured or estimated at a particular observational site. To quantify the fixation amount at the global scale, a process-based model is needed. This study develops a biological nitrogen fixation model and couples it with an extant biogeochemistry model of N2O emissions to examine the fixation rate and its effects on N2O emissions. The revised N2O emission model better matches the observed data in comparison with our previous model that has not considered the fixation effects. The new model estimates that tropical forests have the highest fixation rate among all ecosystem types, and decrease from the equator to the polar region. The estimated nitrogen fixation in global terrestrial ecosystems is 61.5 Tg N yr−1 with a range of 19.8–107.9 Tg N yr−1 in the 1990s. Our estimates are relatively low compared to some early estimates using empirical approaches, but comparable to more recent estimates that involve more detailed processes in their modeling. Furthermore, we estimate that the fixation contributes to −5 % to 20 % changes in N2O emissions compared to our previous estimates, depending on ecosystem types and climatic conditions. This study highlights that there are relatively large effects of the biological nitrogen fixation on ecosystem nitrogen cycling and soil N2O emissions and calls for more comprehensive understanding of biological nitrogen fixation and more observational data for different ecosystems to improve future quantification of the fixation and its impacts.
Restoring Cell Responsiveness to GM-CSF and IL-3 by PTEN Is Via Controlling the Regulation of Egr-1 In TF-1a Cell Line

Abstract 2504 Cytokine independence is a common event in leukemia. The mechanism is often linked to deregulation of Ras/PI3K, Ras/MAP, and JAK/STAT pathways. PTEN, a major negative regulator of the Ras pathway, was initially isolated as a tumor suppressor in a variety of malignancies. We recently reported that PTEN is deficient in 67% of juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) patients. Other groups have also found alterations of PTEN, PI3K, or AKT in 47.7% of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Mice who are rendered pten-deficient develop myeloproliferative disorders and acute myeloid and lymphoid leukemias, and the leukemia-initiating stem cell in these mouse models could be distinguished from the normal hematopoietic stem cell by a differential response to rapamycin. The transcription factor, Egr-1, has been known to be a positive regulator of PTEN expression. It plays an important role in controlling proliferation as well as mobilization of hematopoietic stem cells. It is unknown whether PTEN had a feedback loop on regulating Egr-1 expression. Since poorly differentiated progenitors are often mobilized to the peripheral blood in leukemia patients, we hypothesized that PTEN deficiency alters the feedback loop of Egr-1 in response to cytokine stimulation. In this manner, PTEN deficiency might contribute to the cytokine independence observed in many types of leukemia. In order to evaluate this hypothesis we investigated the role of PTEN in cells responding to GM-CSF stimulation in the leukemia cell line, TF-1a. TF-1a is PTEN deficient as well as cytokine independent, and displays a constitutively high expression of Egr-1. We restored PTEN expression in TF-1a cells. This was accomplished by packaging the coding sequence of wild-type PTEN in a retrovirus vector, pBMN-GFP, that carried a gene encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP). TF-1a cells were transfected with pBMN-PTEN-GFP or pBMN-GFP by spinoculation. The pure population of transfected cells was sorted by FACS, followed by limiting dilution. The transfected single colonies were expanded for further evaluation of PTEN expression and biological function. Data from these experiments showed: 1) over-expression PTEN in TF-1a down-regulated the expression of Egr-1 and restored the responsiveness of Egr-1 to GM-CSF stimulation, 2) PTEN restored the responsiveness of TF-1a to GM-CSF and IL-3, and 3) these events are CREB-independent. In conclusion, our data demonstrates that PTEN contributes to the cell responsiveness to GM-CSF and IL-3, and has a negative feedback role to regulate Egr-1 expression in TF-1a cells. In addition to Egr-1 regulating PTEN in a positive manner, our data indicates the presence of a feedback loop from PTEN back to Egr-1. This appears to be an event independent of CREB. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
P797 Antibody response to mycoplasma genitalium in longitudinally infected men with non-gonococcal urethritis

Background A sensitive and specific serologic test is needed to evaluate the association of Mycoplasma genitalium (MG) infection with serious upper reproductive tract sequelae in women. In this study, we compared the ability of immunoblot and ELISA methods to detect serum antibody reactivity with the immunodominant MgpB and MgpC adherence proteins among MG-infected men with nongonococcal urethritis (NGU). Methods Serum samples collected at two time points (spanning 15–86 days) from 22 MG-infected, PCR-positive men with NGU were assayed for reactivity to MG whole cell lysates by immunoblot, and to the conserved C-terminus of MgpB by ELISA, compared to 19 MG-negative controls. Additionally, we selected six MG(+) men with a variety of immunoblot reactivities and examined their serum specimens for ELISA reactivity to 16 recombinant peptides spanning conserved and variable domains of MgpB and MgpC at two time points. Results Among men with current MG infection, immunoblot detection of MgpB antibodies outperformed an ELISA assay detecting reactivity to the conserved C-terminus of MgpB with 90.9% and 81.8% sensitivity, and 92.3% and 82.3% specificity, respectively. In contrast to immunoblot results, ELISA-reactivity to individual peptides spanning MgpB and MgpC indicated patient antibodies more frequently targeted the C-terminus of MgpC than the C-terminus of MgpB. As expected, most patient sera reacted poorly in ELISAs to recombinant peptides spanning the MgpB and MgpC variable regions as these sequences corresponded to the G37 type strain rather than the infecting strains. Conclusion Our findings suggest that an MG ELISA test could be improved by including conserved portions of both the MgpB and MgpC proteins, providing an alternative to the more labor intensive immunoblot. Such a test will be especially valuable for associating current or past MG infection with serious upper reproductive tract disease in women. Disclosure No significant relationships.
Subjectivity NOT Statement and NOT APA

I inspect in a brief theoretical-philosophical essay the roots of subjectivity and suggest many possible directions for examining the phenomenon of subjectivity so that multiple different meanings can be revealed. For instance, a researcher can explore her or his own subjectivity or he/she can attempt to define subjectivity per se or the researcher can uncover subjectivity or merely learn about subjectivity. I propose that subjectivity is n inner essence of flux and ask if it is even possible to fully capture a researcher’s subjectivity. Another proposition is to view subjectivity as an inner essence of each and every individual. Finally, I conclude that to demarcate subjectivity as opposite to objectivity is the least fruitful way to uncover the ultimate core of subjectivity – the multiple connections toward a vital balance of any type of research endeavor. Keywords: Subjectivity, Flux, Individual Essence
High-capacity rotary drum for atomic layer deposition onto powders and small mechanical parts in a hot-walled viscous flow reactor

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is uniquely capable of providing uniform thin-film coatings on powder substrates, but powder processing has historically required an ALD reactor designed specifically for powders—e.g., a fluidized bed. Tubular hot-walled viscous-flow reactors commonly employed in laboratory-scale ALD research for coating planar substrates such as silicon have been employed previously to coat gram quantities of powder spread out in a thin layer on a tray, but larger quantities of powder introduce long diffusion pathways where reactants are unable to percolate to the bottom of the powder bed to provide uniform coating in reasonable time periods. In this work, we report a rotary drum with a capacity of 100s of grams that is compatible with conventional tubular hot-walled ALD reactors and provides uniform coatings on powders in viscous flow operation. We benchmark this system using Al2O3 ALD with trimethylaluminum and water. We examine the effect of rotation speed and powder quantity on saturation time via in situ quadrupole mass spectroscopy measurements and gravimetric analysis. The rotary drum we report is able to provide homogenous coating of up to 75 g of silica gel powder with a total surface area of ∼1500 m2 in viscous flow operation with precursor utilization as high as 70%.
Scalable Specialization: Architectures, Interfaces, & Applications

The end of Dennard scaling and Moore's law is driving transformational change in hardware, leading to a rise in specialized, domain-specific heterogeneous systems. There is an accompanying explosion of sophisticated applications deployed at the edge on diverse heterogeneous devices that interface directly with the end-user. Realizing the full potential of these trends will require new technologies for scalable specialization and a change in how we conduct systems research. First, we must move from evaluating single application components to end-to-end systems, replacing conventional power-performance-area metrics with those that capture end-user perception. Second, end-to-end system design requires moving from a focus on single accelerators to heterogeneous parallel systems with simultaneously communicating diverse accelerators, requiring scalable and specializable accelerator communication interfaces. Third, effective programmability of such systems requires new hardware-software interfaces designed to represent parallelism, heterogeneity, and communication. To illustrate the above shift, I will describe ILLIXR, the Illinois Extended Reality (XR) testbed, the first complete open-source XR system for enabling end-to-end systems research with a rich and demanding edge application domain; Spandex, a flexible and scalable accelerator communication interface that enables each accelerator to specialize for its coherence, consistency, and data movement requirements; and Heterogeneous Parallel Virtual Memory (HPVM), a virtual ISA and compiler IR designed from the ground up as a hardware-software interface for heterogeneous parallel systems. I will summarize how these technologies are enabling ongoing projects towards scalable specialization.
The MBA in Medical Education: Current MD/MBA Student Aspirations, Perceptions, and Motivations.

Abstract Background As combined Doctor of Medicine and Master of Business Administration (MD/MBA) programs gain popularity, it is critical to understand the motives, perceptions, and interests of MD/MBA students. The purpose of this study was to investigate career aspirations of MD/MBA students, skills they perceive to gain from the dual degree, and reasons why students enroll in MD/MBA programs. Materials and methods All 73 MD/MBA programs in the United States were invited to participate in a twelve-question, online survey. Responses were collected between August 2019 and February 2020 from students enrolled during the 2019-2020 academic year. The questions were designed to examine career aspirations, program perceptions, and personal motivations. Data were aggregated into descriptive summary statistics and rank orders. Results A total of 18 MD/MBA programs agreed to participate in this study, of which 14 met criteria for final analysis. From these programs, 67 of 175 students responded (38%). Among respondents, 100% planned to pursue residency. The most common career interests included the following: clinical practice at an academic hospital (85%), executive leadership in a hospital network (76%), and clinical practice in a community hospital (65%). Students ranked “making a broader impact on health care” and “pursuing leadership in clinical practice” highest among reasons to pursue an MD/MBA. Students reported high rates of acquiring MBA-oriented skills. Conclusions MD/MBA students in this study focused on pursuing clinical careers. Students appear satisfied with their education, reporting high rates of skill acquisition. Residency programs interested in MD/MBA students can incorporate leadership and entrepreneurial opportunities to foster students’ broad interests.
Injury Severity of Ambulatory Patients Following Motor Vehicle Crash.

BACKGROUND On-scene ambulatory status following a motor vehicle crash (MVC) serves as an informal marker of physiologic stability. The influence of ambulatory status after an MVC on trauma team activation and injury severity is infrequently studied, yet may alter the clinician's index of suspicion for injury. The purpose of this study is to describe the injury burden of ambulatory on-scene patients following an MVC. METHODS This is a prospective descriptive study of MVC patients arriving by emergency medical services (EMS), with trauma team activation, to a Midwestern Level I trauma center from July through December 2018. The EMS records were reviewed for wording that indicated the patient's ambulatory status following an MVC. Those denoted as "ambulatory on-scene" were included in this study. Of this subset, Injury Severity Score (ISS), hospital admission status, safety mechanisms utilized, crash scene description, and demographics were collected. RESULTS A total of 648 MVC patients with trauma activations were reviewed, of which 308 met criteria for study inclusion. The average ISS was 2.8, with a range of 0 to 30. The cohort was 51.3% male, with a hospital admission rate of 25.9%. Of the 308 trauma activations, six were total, and 302 were partial. CONCLUSION This study of MVC patients with documented on-scene ambulation found that, although the average ISS was low, injuries and hospital admission were present in up to one-quarter of patients. Ambulatory status following an MVC while informative should not be used as a triage mechanism.
Development and Content Validity of a Patient-Reported Experience Measure for Home Dialysis.

Background and objectives The population of patients with kidney failure in the United States using home dialysis modalities is growing rapidly. Unlike for in-center hemodialysis, there is no patient-reported experience measure for assessment of patient experience of care for peritoneal dialysis or home hemodialysis. We sought to develop and establish content validity of a patient-reported experience measure for patients undergoing home dialysis using a mixed methods multiple stakeholder approach. Design, setting, participants, & measurements We conducted a structured literature review, followed by concept elicitation focus groups and interviews among 65 participants, including 21 patients on home dialysis, 33 home dialysis nurses, three patient care partners, and eight nephrologists. We generated a list of candidate items for possible measure inclusion and conducted a national prioritization exercise among 91 patients on home dialysis and 39 providers using a web-based platform. We drafted the Home Dialysis Care Experience instrument and conducted cognitive debriefing interviews to evaluate item interpretability, order, and structure. We iteratively refined the measure on the basis of interview findings. Results The literature review and concept elicitation phases supported 15 domains of home dialysis care experience in six areas: communication and education of patients, concern and helpfulness of the care team, proficiency of the care team, patient-centered care, care coordination, and amenities and environment. Focus groups results showed that domains of highest importance for measure inclusion were patient education and communication, care coordination, and personalization of care. Prioritization exercise results confirmed focus group findings. Cognitive debriefing indicated that the final measure was easily understood and supported content validity. Conclusions The Home Dialysis Care Experience instrument is a 26-item patient-reported experience measure for use in peritoneal dialysis and home hemodialysis. The Home Dialysis Care Experience instrument represents the first rigorously developed and content-valid English-language instrument for assessment of patient-reported experience of care in home dialysis.
Does Economic Globalization Influence the U.S. Policy Mood?: A Study of U.S. Public Sentiment, 1954-2011.

Does increasing economic globalization influence aggregate policy mood toward the role and size of government in the United States? Drawing on insights from international political economy scholarship, this article suggests that the impact of trade on aggregate preferences will depend on citizens’ exposure to trade. It hypothesizes that employees of import-competing, export-oriented and multinational firms will adopt a ‘compensatory’ model in which higher levels of imports (exports) lead to a liberal (conservative) shift in policy preferences for more (less) government. It distinguishes between intrafirm and non-intrafirm trade flows. It measures policy mood using Stimson’s ‘Mood’, and estimate Error Correction and Instrumental Variable models. Trade flows strongly influence Mood in a manner consistent with hypotheses drawn from international political economy and heterogeneous firms (or “new new”) trade theory.
Exploring preservice teachers’ civic education beliefs with Q methodology

This study explored college students’ civic education ideologies in an entry-level elementary education course using Q methodology. The study asked the students to sort previously developed survey ...
Cogent Science in Context: The Science Wars, Argumentation Theory, and Habermas

A proposal for an interdisciplinary, context-sensitive framework for assessing the strength of scientific arguments that melds Jurgen Habermas's discourse theory and sociological contextualism. Recent years have seen a series of intense, increasingly acrimonious debates over the status and legitimacy of the natural sciences. These "science wars" take place in the public arena-with current battles over evolution and global warming-and in academia, where assumptions about scientific objectivity have been called into question. Given these hostilities, what makes a scientific claim merit our consideration? In Cogent Science in Context, William Rehg examines what makes scientific arguments cogent-that is, strong and convincing-and how we should assess that cogency. Drawing on the tools of argumentation theory, Rehg proposes a multidimensional, context-sensitive framework both for understanding the cogency of scientific arguments and for conducting cooperative interdisciplinary assessments of the cogency of actual scientific arguments. Rehg closely examines Jurgen Habermas's argumentation theory and its implications for understanding cogency, applying it to a case from high-energy physics. A series of problems, however, beset Habermas's approach. In response, Rehg outlines his own "critical contextualist" approach, which uses argumentation-theory categories in a new and more context-sensitive way inspired by ethnography of science.
Influence of intraocular lens material and design on postoperative intracapsular cellular reactivity.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the influence of intraocular lens (IOL) material and design on the outcome of postoperative lens epithelial cell proliferation within the capsular bag after cataract surgery. METHODS: A total of 5,079 human globes containing rigid and foldable posterior chamber IOL styles commonly implanted in the United States (n = 8) were analyzed in this study. Each globe, fixated in 10% formalin, was sectioned at the equator and analyzed using the Miyake-Apple posterior technique. The study consisted of 3 parts: First, to evaluate posterior capsule opacification (PCO); the Nd:YAG laser posterior capsulotomy rate (%) was documented and plotted on a monthly basis, creating a computerized trend line for each IOL style. Second, to evaluate anterior capsule opacification (ACO); 460 globes were processed for histologic examination. Anterior capsule fibrosis was scored from 0 to III, according to the thickness of proliferative tissue/cells on the inner surface of the anterior capsule at the capsulorhexis margin. Third, interlenticular opacification (ILO) was studied by analysis of 3 pairs of acrylic piggyback lenses that had been explanted because of opacification between their optics. Each IOL pair was processed for histologic examination, and scanning electron microscopy was performed on 1 of the lenses. RESULTS: In the first study, relatively higher Nd:YAG laser posterior capsulotomy rates (19.1% to 32.8%) were noted with the 4 oldest IOL designs in this study (2 foldable lenses, 1 3-piece polymethyl methacrylate [PMMA] design, and 1 single-piece all-PMMA design). Four modern lenses, 1 acrylic lens, and 3 silicone foldable IOL designs had Nd:YAG rates ranging from 1.3% to 14.6% (P < .0001). In the second study, mean ACO scores were highest with silicone-plate lenses (1.77 +/- 0.86 and 1.28 +/- 0.77). The lowest mean score was observed with the acrylic lens (0.51 +/- 0.52; P < .0001). In study 3, the analyses of the 3 pairs of explanted acrylic piggyback lenses showed that the opacification between them (ILO) may have different forms. CONCLUSIONS: Control of postoperative intracapsular cellular proliferation is important in avoiding 3 significant clinical complications. Postoperative lens epithelial cell proliferation is involved in the pathogenesis of PCO, ACO, and ILO, the latter being a newly described form of opacification within the capsular bag related to piggyback IOL implantation. IOL material and design are important factors influencing the outcome of these complications.
Effects of Diets on Concentrations of 6-Phosphogluconate and Fructose 2,6-Bisphosphate in Rat Livers and an Assay of Fructose 2,6-Bisphosphate with an Improved Method

We determined the effects of diets that have different lipogenic potentials on hepatic concentrations of 6-phosphogluconate and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate, both of which activate hepatic phosphofructokinase. Diets high in carbohydrate increased concentrations of both effectors compared to a high protein (gluconeogenic) diet. The concentration of 6-phosphogluconate was associated with the lipogenic nature of the diet, and the range of its concentration matched that over which phosphofructokinase responds to 6-phosphogluconate in vitro. In contrast, the concentration of fructose of 2,6-bisphosphate was not associated with the lipogenic potential of the diets. Fructose 2,6-bisphosphate was either absent from liver or its concentration was 10- to 30-fold higher than the concentration that gives the maximal activation of phosphofructokinase in vitro. The results indicate that fructose 2,6-bisphosphate and 6-phosphogluconate have different roles in the regulation of phosphofructokinase. Fructose 2,6-bisphosphate may be involved in switching hepatic carbohydrate metabolism between gluconeogenesis and glycolysis, whereas changes in the concentration of 6-phosphogluconate may coordinate the disposition of glucose 6-phosphate between the oxidative branch of the hexosemonophosphate pathway and glycolysis. In the course of our studies, we improved an enzymatic assay for fructose 2,6-bisphosphate.
The Enduring Enigma of TRIPS: A Challenge for the World Economic System

This special issue on trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS) is introduced with a perspective that focuses on the urgency of narrowing the gap in living standards between the rich nations and the poor. The 1997/98 world economic crisis highlights the question of whether creating an international market in intellectual property sufficiently addresses the interests of developing countries in the diffusion and use of knowledge. It is suggested that substantial intervention by international institutions with interests in promoting development is also required. The role of IPRs in economic development is analyzed, and this contribution points to a few areas in which consensus among international IPRs specialists is emerging. Among these is that the role of IPRs is context-sensitive, depending on the particular characteristics of countries in which IPRs systems are introduced, and depending on the specific industries in which these IPRs are employed. This context-sensitive role argues for flexible implementation of the TRIPS Agreement in developing and newly industrializing countries. In WTO implementation of the TRIPS Agreement (including a review of national laws and dispute settlement) and in forthcoming WTO TRIPS negotiations (in areas such as biotechnology and genetics, the digital environment and electronic commerce, exhaustion of rights, non-violation causes of actions, competition and investment), the specific interests of the developing countries must be given a priority. Just as developed countries have traditionally balanced the IPRs interests of producers, consumers, and the science and research communities, so also must the WTO balance respective global interests in technology and creativity. The author urges a more extensive role for institutions such as the World Bank in technology capacity-building.
Methanol Vehicles of Volkswagen—A Contribution to Better Air Quality

As a possible alternative fuel of the future, methanol plays an important role in Volkswagen's research programs. Within this framework continuous progress has been made in the development of concepts over more than 15 years. Various large-scale test programs have proved the applicability of methanol as a fuel. These involved both fuel blends with gasoline and diesel fuel as well as virtually pure methanol. To round off these projects the possible use of ethanol was also considered. While energy saving and the lowest possible consumption of energy was the top priority for vehicle concepts in the early years, the environmental advantages of methanol as a fuel have increased in importance in the last few years.
When robots weep: a computational approach to affective learning

This thesis presents a unified computational framework for the study of emotion that integrates several concepts and mechanisms which have been traditionally deemed to be integral components of intelligent behavior. We introduce the notion of affect programs as the primary theoretical constructs for investigating the function and the mechanisms of emotion, and instantiate these in a variety of embodied agents, including physical and simulated robots. Each of these affect programs establishes a functionally distinct mode of operation for the robots, that is activated when specific environmental contingencies are appraised. These modes involve the coordinated adjustment and entrainment of several different systems—including those governing perception, attention, motivation regulation, action selection, learning, and motor control as part of the implementation of specialized solutions that take advantage of the regularities found in highly recurrent and prototypical environmental contingencies. We demonstrate this framework through multiple experimental scenarios that explore important features of the affect program abstraction and its function, including the demonstration of affective behavior, evaluative conditioning, incentive salience, and affective learning. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
New pediatric male urinal.

There has been a considerable need for many years to develop a leakproof urinal for small boys with urinary incontinence. Dissatisfaction with available urinals encouraged our development of the present equipment. The phallus in young boys is too small for attachment of a conventional condom-type device. Our attention was, therefore, focused on a condom which could be sealed against the skin around the base of the penis. The Hill-Davol condom urinal proved suitable for modification. This was achieved by precutting the diaphragm which fits around the penis and is pressed against the skin around the base. The diaphragm is an integral part of the condom and is pressed against the skin around the penis.
Mystery case: A case of oil in ventricles: deception for intraventricular hemorrhage.

A 73-year-old woman with history of diabetic retinal detachment surgery 25 years ago in China presented with dizziness, headaches, and syncope. Noncontrast CT head (NCCT) showed hyperdensity within the left lateral temporal horn and fourth ventricle. Next day NCCT and MRI showed a shift of hyperdensity to the right frontal horn (figures 1 and 2).
Sparking creativity in computer science for interdisciplinary students

A class on Technologies for Creative Learning was designed to investigate the answers to a well-researched question: “What learning mechanisms spark creativity?” The class was offered for the first time at Oklahoma Baptist University during the Winter 2013 semester, and was structured to introduce computer science concepts to an interdisciplinary group of students. A key enabler of most learning mechanisms today is technology, and this class explored the use of various platforms in the design and functionality of learning through technology, using computer science as the learning objective. This work addresses the implications of programming and robotics to foster creativity in computer science and discusses the outcomes of the class.
Prefrontal dysfunction during emotion regulation in generalized anxiety and panic disorders.

BackgroundThe mechanisms that contribute to emotion dysregulation in anxiety disorders are not well understood. Two common disorders, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and panic disorder (PD), were examined to test the hypothesis that both disorders are characterized by hypo-activation in prefrontal cortex (PFC) during emotion regulation. A competing hypothesis that GAD in particular is characterized by PFC hyper-activation during emotion regulation (reflecting overactive top-down control) was also evaluated.MethodTwenty-two medication-free healthy control (HC), 23 GAD, and 18 PD participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a task that required them to reappraise (i.e. reduce) or maintain emotional responses to negative images.ResultsGAD participants reported the least reappraisal use in daily life, and reappraisal use was inversely associated with anxiety severity and functional impairment in these participants. During fMRI, HCs demonstrated greater activation during both reappraisal and maintenance than either GAD or PD participants (who did not differ) in brain areas important for emotion regulation (e.g. dorsolateral and dorsomedial PFC). Furthermore, across all anxious participants, activation during reappraisal in dorsolateral and dorsomedial PFC was inversely associated with anxiety severity and functional impairment.ConclusionsEmotion dysregulation in GAD and PD may be the consequence of PFC hypo-activation during emotion regulation, consistent with insufficient top-down control. The relationship between PFC hypo-activation and functional impairment suggests that the failure to engage PFC during emotion regulation may be part of the critical transition from dispositionally high anxiety to an anxiety disorder.
Sustainable cooperation as the challenge for a new coastal management paradigm

Coastal management is a collective action. As such, it depends for its effective implementation on the cooperation of a multitude of stakeholders, i.e. civic organizations, economic interest groups, environmental groups, governmental agencies, scientists and other individuals. Where ‘effective implementation’ implies the achievement of targeted objectives within targeted time horizons and ‘cooperation’ connotes that stakeholders elect to pursue cooperative strategies that may yield higher gains for all stakeholders instead of competitive strategies that may maximize individual benefits. Thus, the fundamental challenge of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) is to maximize the effectiveness of this management by maximizing and sustaining stakeholder cooperation. I submit that sustainable cooperation can be maximized and nurtured for its voluntariness only by a process-oriented, cooperative CZM. The alternative, outcome-oriented, normative CZM can force, directly or indirectly, cooperation but it cannot sustain it. My purpose in this paper, is to highlight arguments supporting this view as well as the analytical challenges of cooperative ICZM. Certain points are also viewed in the light of preliminary findings of a research project designed to probe these challenges.
Correlative studies in obese children and adolescents concerning body composition and plasma insulin and growth hormone levels.

Extract: Levels of plasma insulin, growth hormone (HGH), glucose, and free fatty acids (FFA) were investigated in 17 obese, nondiabetic children or adolescents after administration of intravenous arginine, oral glucose, and a protein-glucose meal. These results were compared with those obtained in eight normal adolescents. Four of the obese patients had a family history of diabetes but had hormonal responses identical with those observed in obese subjects with a negative family history of diabetes. Subjects were arbitrarily separated into two groups depending on duration of obesity (Table I) (age of onset was different: infancy or early childhood for group B, 5–8 years for group A). Subjects in group B (longstanding obesity) all had a strong family history of obesity with marked increases in body weight, body fat, and excess fat. Fasting levels of insulin were greater than normal (P < 0.001 (Table II)). Patients in group A (short duration), with lesser increments in body weight and body fat, had normal fasting levels of insulin and normal response to intravenous arginine (Fig. 4). All obese subjects had hyperinsulinemia in response to other stimuli, but patients in group B achieved the highest insulin levels (Figs. 2, 3, and 4). All obese patients had significantly decreased levels of HGH during tests and elevated fasting levels of FFA. Patients in group B exhibited a reduced mean decrement in FFA during the oral glucose tolerance test. Whether or not responses seen in patients in group A represent an early stage of the conditions observed in patients in group B cannot be determined by this study, but the biochemical changes reported in established obesity of childhood mimic those found in the adult. Speculation: Obesity in children is associated with excess lipogenesis and hyperinsulinemia, which are interdependent and initiated through maximal nutritional intake in infancy. Eventually muscle becomes resistant to insulin with decreased transport of glucose into the cell and decreased protein synthesis relative to DNA. The reduced levels of growth hormone in the circulation may indicate excessive uptake by muscle, which is followed, in some instances, by an associated proliferation of nuclei.
Quantitative analysis of naloxone antagonism of the discriminative stimulus properties of morphine in the pigeon.

Abstract Pigeons were trained to discriminate morphine (5.0 mg/kg) from saline under a second-order fixed ratio 10 (fixed-ratio 5) color-tracking schedule for food reinforcement. After reliable stimulus control was established, cumulative graded doses of morphine (0.3–30.0 mg/kg) were tested and resulted in dose-dependent increases in morphine-appropriate key pecking and decreases in response rate. Cumulative doses of naloxone (0.1–10.0 mg/kg) or consecutive injections of saline did not elicit morphine-appropriate responding or affect response rate. Pre-treatment with naloxone (0.1-1.0 mg/kg) before determination of cumulative dose-effect curves for morphine caused the morphine generalization curves to be shifted, in a parallel manner, rightward. Dose-ratio analysis of naloxone antagonism of morphine generalization, using a Schild plot with the slope constrained to −1, gave an apparent pA 2 value (95% confidence limits) of 6.53 (6.18-6.89).
Analysis of factors that influence survival with post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder in renal transplant recipients: The Israel Penn International Transplant Tumor Registry experience

Significant mortality is associated with post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) in kidney transplant recipients (KTX). Univariate/multivariate risk factor survival analysis of US PTLD KTX reported to Israel Penn International Transplant Tumor Registry from November 1968 to January 2000 was performed. PTLD presented 18 (median) (range 1-310) months in 402 KTX. Death rates were greater for those diagnosed within 6 months (64%) versus beyond 6 months (54%, p = 0.04). No differences in death risk for gender, race, immunosuppression, EBV, B or T cell positivity were identified. Death risk increased for multiple versus single sites (73% vs. 53%, hazards ratio (HR) 1.4). A 1-year increase in age increased HR for death by 2%. Surgery was associated with increased survival (55% vs. 0% without surgery) (p < 0.0001). Patients with allograft involvement, treated with transplant nephrectomy alone (n = 20), had 80% survival versus 53% without allograft removal (n = 15) (p < 0.001). Overall survival was 69% for allograft involvement alone versus 36% for other organ involvement plus allograft (n = 19 alive) (p < 0.0001). Death risk was greater for multiple site PTLD and increasing age, and risks were additive. Univariate analysis identified increased death risk for those not receiving surgery, particularly allograft involvement alone.
Social-P2P: An Online Social Network Based P2P File Sharing System

A peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing system provides a platform that enables a tremendous number of nodes to share their files. Retrieving desired files efficiently and trustworthily is critical in such a large and jumbled system. However, the issues of efficient searching and trustworthy searching have only been studied separately. Simply combining the methods to achieve the two goals doubles system overhead. In this paper, we first study trace data from Facebook and BitTorrent. Guided by the observations, we propose a system that integrates a social network into a P2P network, named Social-P2P, for simultaneous efficient and trustworthy file sharing. It incorporates three mechanisms: (1) interest/trust-based structure, (2) interest/trust-based file searching, and (3) trust relationship adjustment. By exploiting the social interests and relationships in the social network, the interest/trust-based structure groups common-multi-interest nodes into a cluster and further connects socially close nodes within a cluster. The comparably stable nodes in each cluster form a Distributed Hash Table (DHT) for inter-cluster file searching. In the interest/trust-based file searching mechanism, a file query is forwarded to the cluster of the file by the DHT routing first. Then, it is forwarded along constructed connections within a cluster, which achieves high hit rate and reliable routing. Moreover, sharing files among socially close friends discourages nodes from providing faulty files because people are unlikely to risk their reputation in the real-world. In the trust relationship adjustment mechanism, each node in a routing path adaptively decreases its trust on the node that has forwarded a faulty file in order to avoid routing queries towards misbehaving nodes later on. We conducted extensive trace-driven simulations and implemented a prototype on PlanetLab. Experimental results show that Social-P2P achieves highly efficient and trustworthy file sharing compared to current file sharing systems and trust management systems.
A conceptual model of verbal exchange health literacy

Objective To address a gap in understanding of verbal exchange (oral and aural) health literacy by describing the systematic development of a verbal exchange health literacy (VEHL) definition and model which hypothesizes the role of VEHL in health outcomes.
Influence of Emoticons on Perceived Negative Affect and Professionalism in Work-related Email

This study examined the use of emoticons, which are symbols that represent feelings or emotions, and their relationship to perceptions of negative affect in business email communications. Based on ...
A review of transcapillary fluid and solute exchange in the renal glomerulus

Abstract The regulation of the movement of water and macromolecular solutes within and across the walls of glomerular capillaries in the renal cortex is a complex and only partially understood phenomenon. In recent years the availability of a strain of rats possessing surface glomeruli together with advances in micropuncture/microperfusion methodology and the introduction of mathematical models of transcapillary solute and fluid exchange have provided many new and unexpected insights into renal glomerular function. The determinants of glomerular ultrafiltration and of glomerular permselectivity for macromolecules are presented and discussed in this communication for a variety of physiological conditions. The factors which regulate the filtration of fluid across glomerular capillaries are the transcapillary hydraulic pressure difference, the systemic plasma protein concentration, the glomerular capillary plasma flow rate, and the glomerular capillary ultrafiltration coefficient. Macromolecular capillary permselectivity is controlled by these same determinants as well as by molecular size and charge. A number of examples are presented wherein partial eradication of membrane-bound negative charges from the glomerular capillary wall is in part responsible for the proteinuric response of selected drug- and antibody-induced pathophysiological states.